Today is World Sight Day and I want to tell you about a plan I discovered over the Summer and ask for you to consider supporting it.
In West Africa, there is an estimated 2.6m people who are blind. 80% of blind people affected suffer needlessly in developing countries. Their blindness is completely treatable and/or preventable in the first place – sometimes in operations that can take minutes.
Once a person is cured of blindness, they can provide more support to their families, perhaps by returning to work. Everyone benefits, not just the sufferer.
Moorfields, one of the oldest and largest centres for eye health in the world, has committed to developing an integrated eye and surgical training unit that is to be based at the main teaching hospital in Ghana’s capital, Accra. You can see some of the fantastic work they do in the photos on our Flickr page.
This unique facility will enable eye specialists from across West Africa to be trained, in safe and high volume surgery, which is desperately needed to help eliminate cataract blindness or to deliver sight saving treatments for people with glaucoma.
Encouragingly, the hospital has raised about 75% of the £3m it needs already and expects to be in a position to begin construction by the summer of next year, assuming that it is able to raise the remaining 25%.
Please join me in donating to Moorfields’ campaign. This is the first time that we have made a direct appeal to all Glasses Direct customers and with your support we can help ensure the plan takes off.
I am asking everyone to consider giving small amounts that won’t hurt the pocket, but collectively will make a big difference.
You can make a donation using the link below:
http://www.justgiving.com/glassesdirect/
Yours,
Jamie Murray Wells
Founder and Executive Chairman, Glasses Direct
Very worthwhile…
!here’s an idea for you guys!
Couple http://www.justgiving.com/glassesdirect/ campaign within cart processes.
Make it an option within your cart processes, (just like email newsletter opt in radio button)
for a customer to add 10% of their order amount (or 2%, suggested amounts, left blank for user input)
to the cause (or any cause for that matter)
add amount to cart [fade tick slider would be the elegant way to do it]
and then further tick radio button accepting user your T&C’s, 10 day trail charge,
add ‘X’ amount to order total, with Gift Aid amount
Gift Aid scheme administered by justgiving.com
[API concept proposal to JustGiving forthcoming]
** and given certain terms GlassesDirect can match that amount**
Makes sense on many levels, as a forward thinking, morally sound company. Don’t you think?
Nice job! Feels good… it’s the right thing to do.
Good business too.
Kindest regards
Gregor B
Mr Jamie Wells & Admin: if you’d like to hear more on implementation ideas don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you all, and best of luck with the appeal.
Keep Giving – I’ll need do that right NOW!
What about YOU? @ http://www.justgiving.com/glassesdirect/
Great idea. We did this as a campaign once for Orbis – and ended up donating over £8,000. You can see the result here. We will continue to look at ways of being active in the global optical community.