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Latest News about Restoring Vision

Dear Partners and Friends,

2019 was an extraordinary year of learning, expansion, and impact at RestoringVision. We grew our unparalleled network of service delivery partners to more than 1,800 organizations strong that today have a capacity to serve more than 6 million people collectively. We expanded our presence within the optical nonprofit eco-system, from participating in events such as Sightgeist in London and presenting at the VOSH International conference in Orlando, to establishing our role with the Clear Vision Collective in Bangladesh. We completed our first evaluation study assessing RestoringVision’s work and the availability and affordability of reading glasses in two countries: Mexico and Nigeria (report coming soon). And most importantly, together with you, we transformed the lives of over 2.7 million people in need through the gift of clear vision.

As we reflect on these successes, we also look to our future. This year, our priorities are building a sustainable organization, setting a new strategy, and fundraising in order to serve the growing demand for glasses. In parallel, we have an ambitious goal and campaign to impact 20 million people by the end of 2020. There’s never been a more exciting time to join our cause. Get on board in bigger and better ways this year, the year of vision! We invite you to go the extra mile with us on behalf of millions of people who depend on all of us for clear vision.

Best regards,
Pelin Munis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, RestoringVision

OUR IMPACT IN 2019 

DEVELOPMENT UPDATES FOR DONORS

Go the Extra Mile this 2020 – The Year of Vision
In this year of vision, we invite you to Go the Extra Mile with RestoringVision! As the largest, least expensive, most efficient, highest impact provider of new reading glasses to people in need in the developing world, RestoringVision provides one of the highest and most reliable returns on philanthropic investments anywhere.

Here’s how you can Go the Extra Mile with us this 2020…
Click here to continue reading

PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SERVICE DELIVERY PARTNERS

Make Your 2020 Mission Trips More Impactful

It’s never too early to order glasses for your 2020 mission trips! Our most popular reading glasses and sunglasses are stock ready.

Additionally, this year we are thrilled to offer even more impactful ways to give the gift of sight to those you serve…
Click here to continue reading

We have even more news and updates to share with you! Please click here for the full version of our newsletter.

Teresa, a midwife in a small Guatemalan village, has impacted the lives of 130 women by supporting them through pregnancy and birth.

Like many others in her village, Teresa lives on less than $2 per day and struggles to meet the costs of the most basic needs. She suffered from near vision impairment and didn’t have access nor the means to acquire a pair of glasses.

Through the generous support of donors like you, RestoringVision had the opportunity to help Teresa and provide her with the gift of sight. Teresa now continues to impact the lives of many women in her community by helping them bring new life into the world.

By giving the gift of sight you can empower the life of a person like Teresa so that they can impact and empower their own community.

This Dec. 3, turn #GivingTuesday into #GivingSightDay and make a story of empowerment possible by donating to RestoringVision. Any amount you can give, no matter how large or small, can make a world of difference for a person in need.

Our goal for our Year-End, #GivingSight campaign is to raise $40,000 to empower the lives of 50,000 people like Teresa. Will you join us? 

Dear Partners and Friends,

Tis the season to be grateful. At RestoringVision, this is a time for us to give thanks to you and the thousands of people who have joined our cause and made a difference in the lives of over 15,000,000 people in need. Your efforts and contributions have fueled our mission and inspired people from near and far to contribute to our collective vision: A world where everyone who needs glasses has them.

One of our donors recently described the ability to access glasses and see clearly as a “basic human need.” For many people, this is a need that has gone unmet for far too long. With your help today, we can make clear vision a reality for the local farmer in Colombia, the artisan in Bangladesh, the teacher in Nigeria, and the midwife in Guatemala. These are the people who your contributions support every day.

By helping us raise awareness, by taking glasses to the field, and by donating to our year-end campaign, you can make a bigger difference and empower the lives of those most in need.

Best regards,
Pelin Munis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, RestoringVision

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 

RestoringVision Celebrates our 16-Year Anniversary

Every year RestoringVision joins the global day of giving, #GivingTuesday, by turning it into #GivingSightDay. This year, our #GivingSightDay goal is to raise $40,000 to empower 50,000 lives through the gift of sight.

You are the most important part of making this goal a reality. Spark the giving spirit by getting involved!

Donors and Funders: Make your year-end gift and join us in empowering 50,000 lives through the gift of sight. Why wait until December 3 to make a difference? Donate here today and your gift will be doubled! – The first $15,000 in donations will be matched thanks to National Vision and Humps Optics.

Service Delivery Partners: Every #GivingSightDay we give back to YOU, and this year is no exception. Be on the lookout in the coming days for an email with details about our special #GivingSightDay offer for you. In the meantime, add #GivingSightDay to your calendars.

We have even more development updates and news for partners to share with you! Please click here for the full version of our newsletter.

Dear Partners and Friends,

Sixteen years ago, RestoringVision was born out of a need and desire to help. One man’s observation. One man’s commitment to do something about it. It was during an outreach trip to Mexico that our Founder and Chairman Mark Sachs saw the tremendous need for reading glasses. He witnessed people traveling 10, 20, even 30 miles, sleeping overnight just to be able to attend the eye clinic when it opened the next morning. These were people living with and suffering from vision impairment, with no access to glasses. More than half of the people, who visited the clinic, simply needed a pair of non-prescription reading glasses – glasses that were readily available in the United States but nearly impossible to find in impoverished communities. Seeing this incredible need, Mark was determined to make a difference.

Mark’s desire to help led to the creation of our unique organization and model. By building a network of glasses manufacturers, charitable organizations, and socially conscious corporations and people, we have been able to restore and protect vision for more than 15 million people in 130 countries. From helping only 2,000 people in our first year in 2003 to helping over 3 million people a year today, we’re very proud of what we have accomplished with you, our partners on this incredible journey! As always, thank YOU for what you do and a big Happy Anniversary to all of us!

Best regards,
Pelin Munis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, RestoringVision

LOOKING TOWARD YEAR-END

RestoringVision Celebrates our 16-Year Anniversary

On October 2, RestoringVision turns 16. Since our inception, we’ve transformed more than 15 million lives through the gift of sight. We are proud to have become the largest provider of new glasses to people living in impoverished communities and are fiercely committed to doing good with integrity. Your support brought us to this milestone, and we couldn’t be more grateful

This year for the first time, we’re kicking off our year-end giving campaign on our anniversary! We invite you to celebrate all that you’ve made possible and make a bigger commitment to do more this year.

Donors:
Show your support with a charitable contribution.
This year, we have a gap in our fundraising goal and therefore, your donations are more important than ever. Every dollar raised helps provide the gift of sight to a person in need. Your donations can help a mother or father providing for their family, a midwife delivering babies for the community, a farmer who is sorting beans, and so many more individuals who rely on their vision.

Partners:
Order glasses for your upcoming mission trips.
Adding glasses to your outreach projects is an easy, affordable way to transform lives and enhance your programs. With their vision corrected and protected, the people you serve will be able to work, study, care for their families, and so much more. If you don’t have any mission trips coming up, now is the perfect time to donate and refer us to other organizations.

We have even more news and updates to share with you! Please click here for the full version of our newsletter.

Uncorrected near vision impairment due to lack of access to available, affordable glasses in developing countries is one of the biggest global health problems affecting 1 in 7 people. As the largest nonprofit provider of new reading glasses to people living in impoverished communities, RestoringVision has the potential of making a significant difference.

Two years ago, we set an ambitious goal to transform 20 million lives by the end of 2020. Thanks to your support, we have been steadily working toward that milestone ever since. To date, we have helped 15 million people around the world. Although we are closer to achieving our goal, we’re also closer to 2020 and are projecting a shortfall in glasses and donations for the second half of this year. This is why your support is critical now more than ever.

Nowhere can your dollar go further than with RestoringVision. Your donations help inspire and empower people in need around the world. Please consider making an additional donation or increasing your contribution for this year. With your support, we can close the gap and help another five million people restore their vision and their lives by 2020. To change a life, click here.

To learn more about the different ways to get involved with RestoringVision, click here.

Thank you for joining us as we work toward our goal of transforming 20 million lives through the gift of sight.

Dear Partners and Friends,

Summer is here and we have much to celebrate! In the first six months of the year, together with you, we’ve restored vision for 1.9 million people! Our partners have traveled to far and remote villages to create access to glasses for those who need them most – as one of our partners says “to some of the poorest people on earth.” Thank YOU for making our collective vision a reality. Together, we are creating a world where more and more people who need glasses have them.

As we celebrate our accomplishments, we also look to our bright future. Every person who is helped, every dollar that is contributed helps us get one step closer to our goal of reaching 20 million people by 2020. As you know, glasses create access to opportunities for employment, education, safety and a better quality of life. Join us in creating these opportunities for more people in need by strengthening your commitment to helping them see and live better. To learn more about how you can help, see below.

As always, thank you for being on this remarkable journey with us to restore vision for millions of people in need.

Best regards,

Pelin Munis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, RestoringVision

2019 AT A GLANCE

With your support, we have helped 1.9 million people see clearly and protect their vision so far this year!

PROGRAM UPDATES FOR SERVICE DELIVERY PARTNER UPDATE

Thank You for Referring Us!
From January through June 2019, 25% of our orders have come from new partners. The way that these partners heard about us was through referrals. For those of you who referred us, THANK YOU! For those of you who are new, welcome! You are in excellent company with some of the most extraordinary organizations doing good in the world. If you know of someone or an organization that can take glasses to the field, please refer us.

DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

Reading Glasses Day Was a Success!
Our inaugural Reading Glasses Day campaign almost $21,000 to create access to glasses for 26,000 people in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. Empowered by the gift of sight, these people will be able to see and live better! Thank you to all of our donors for seeing the opportunity and making a difference in the lives of people in need!

We have even more news and updates to share with you! Please click here for the full version of our newsletter.

This year on June 7, RestoringVision and FGX International launched the very first Reading Glasses Day, a commemorative date dedicated to raising awareness about the lack of access to reading glasses in developing countries, and the impact that vision correction through reading glasses has on people’s lives. We’re thrilled to report that, thanks to the help of our Board, #ReadingGlassesDay was a major success!

THANK YOU, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES!

In total, 15 different organizations got involved and helped us raise awareness, including industry leaders such as Essilor, and optical non-profits like Sightsavers. Additionally, three companies generously donated to our #ReadingGlassesDay campaign: Creator Cakes, Humps Optics, and Neckglasses. Their support and promotion helped us educate thousands of people on the global need for glasses, and inspire them to get involved.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS!

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the RestoringVision Board, we are ecstatic to announce that we surpassed our #ReadingGlassesDay fundraising goal! In total, we raised $20,770 to create access to glasses for 25,963 people in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. Empowered by the gift of sight, these individuals will not only be able to see better – they will be able to live better. With every donation we receive, we are creating lasting change for the people we serve.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS for seeing the opportunity with us this #ReadingGlassesDay! We look forward to transforming even more lives with you next year.

Dear Partners and Friends,

This is a time of renewed energy and for us at RestoringVision, it’s the perfect moment to launch an exciting new initiative. For the first time ever, RestoringVision together with FGX International is launching Reading Glasses Day on Friday, June 7. This is a commemorative date dedicated to raising awareness about the lack of access to reading glasses in developing countries, and the impact that vision correction through reading glasses has on people’s lives. Whether it’s to read in order to study to become a teacher or a doctor, to be able to see the smile of your child, or to be able to thread a needle in order to work and provide for your family – these are all the beautiful things that reading glasses enable a person to do.

However today, over 500 million people suffer from near vision impairment and its consequences due to a lack of access to reading glasses. They live in impoverished communities where glasses are unavailable and unaffordable. Starting now and concluding on Reading Glasses Day, we will be raising awareness about this problem and need. We encourage you as our partners and supporters to join us in raising awareness and taking action. We’ve created easy and exciting ways for you to get involved and make a difference. See below for more information.

We look forward to celebrating this important day with you, to taking action together and inspiring others to do the same. With clear vision comes significantly better lives. Thank you for being on this exciting and impactful journey with us to restore vision for millions of people in need.

Best regards,

Pelin Munis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, RestoringVision

READING GLASSES DAY: FRIDAY, JUNE 7

Brought to you by RestoringVision and FGX International, Reading Glasses Day is an opportunity to focus attention on the importance of and the global need for reading glasses. And most importantly, it is an opportunity to bring individuals, organizations, and communities together to make a difference.

We hope you will #SeeTheOpportunity and join us in celebrating #ReadingGlassesDay.

Click here to read the full newsletter and learn how you can get involved this #ReadingGlassesDay!

Imagine for a moment that you’re a teacher who can’t see clearly to grade papers, or an administrator who struggles to see well enough to write reports. All you need is a simple pair of reading glasses, yet there are none available in your village. 

That was the reality for the staff at WISER Girls Secondary School in Kenya.

Rose, a caterer at the school, said, “For the last five years, I’ve had trouble with seeing.” Without access to affordable reading glasses, Rose was relying on a pair that was several years old and no longer strong enough for her needs. 

When she put on her new reading glasses from RestoringVision, Rose was immediately able to see clearly again. “These will help me do my work better. I shall write better. When I’m budgeting, when writing reports for my department, these will help.” 

All it took for Rose to be more confident and successful in her job was a simple pair of reading glasses. This #ReadingGlassesDay, you can help us create access to glasses for people like Rose across Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. Make a donation here today. Thanks to the generosity of our Board of Directors, all donations up to $10,000 will be matched!

To learn more about #ReadingGlassesDay, click here.

Dear Partners and Friends,

RestoringVision is off to a great start this year, thanks to you! We are now in our 3rd year of an ambitious 4-year goal to help 20 million people see clearly by 2020. This year specifically, our goal is to reach 3.2 million people.

In the first two months of the year, 25% of orders for glasses came from new partnerships. This means that more people are learning about this global health problem and taking action to make a difference. Our partners have also shared that by adding glasses, their programs have been enriched.

This year, we have several key initiatives that we set into motion in 2018. These include our work with partner organizations in country, their local governments and ministries to develop programs that provide reading glasses to people living in rural and impoverished communities. These programs are being developed in Bangladesh, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. We also have been focusing on growing collaborations with US based programs – both large and small and organizations conducting outreach trips. The importance of these programs is their capacity and ability to reach some of the most remote areas of the world.

Partners are at the core of what we do at RestoringVision. We know that we could never solve a global health problem of this scale by ourselves. For that reason, we rely on service delivery partners, donors, and funders to help us advance our mission to transform lives by restoring vision for millions of people in need. Thank you for being on this journey with us and for your support and contributions. We couldn’t do it without you.

Best regards,

Pelin Munis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, RestoringVision

RESTORINGVISION EXECUTIVE OUTREACH TRIP TO GUATEMALA

Earlier this month, RestoringVision Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mac Humphries, visited Guatemala with two of our institutional donors: FGX International and the Shelter Hill Foundation. Thanks to our service delivery partners, Food For The Poor and Caritas of Guatemala, the group was able to experience first-hand the extraordinary impact that reading glasses have on people living in impoverished communities.

Click here to read the full newsletter and learn more about our trip to Guatemala.