VisionSpring

Visionspring works to increase lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well-being through eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty. In 2023, we screened more than 2.6 million people and corrected the vision of nearly 1.9 million, providing eyeglasses to low-income earners and learners so they can see well and do well. More than half of these individuals received their first-ever pair of eyeglasses. This year also marked our total distribution of eyeglasses to 12 million people and unlocked an estimated $2.6 billion in income-earning potential for households living on less than $4 per day since the organization's founding in 2001.in 2023, Visionspring continued its focus on optical services and eyeglasses sales, growing at a rate of 16% year-on-year. Our target customers were reached in over 20 countries, including our largest markets in india, bangladesh, and sub-saharan africa. Visionspring's program activities are implemented through two models: vision access programs and institutional partnerships.in 2023, our vision access programs (vap) corrected the vision of 846,000 people in workplaces, factories, schools, transportation hubs, and rural and informal settlements. Visionspring specializes in improving the livelihoods of working-age adults, such that 81% of those served were reached through our see to earn program, which is part of vap's impact. Our vision access programs advance our impact along three themes: see to earn, see to learn, and see to be safe.see to earn: we partner with private foundations, governments, and corporate social responsibility offices of major businesses to bring free vision screenings and low-cost glasses to adults engaged in the informal and agricultural economies. We deepened the market penetration of our longest-running program, which shifts the task of correcting blurry near vision to community providers. Reading glasses for improved livelihoods (rgil) expanded with health entrepreneurs in zambia, served new districts with community health workers in uganda, and extended into a nationwide network of microfinance clients in bangladesh. Additionally, our clear vision workplaces (cvw) program, powered by an alliance of leading brands, dramatically increases eyeglasses coverage rates among workers who produce textiles, garments, and home goods.livelihoods in focus (lif) is our strategic initiative to dramatically increase eyeglasses coverage rates and associated productivity and income in communities engaged in vision-intensive agriculture and artisan crafts. In 2023, we expanded lif in assam, india, for tea workers and in ashanti, ghana, for cocoa farmers. We also initiated new lif programs in karnataka, india, for coffee workers and artisans, as well as in uganda's tea and vanilla growing districts. In total, we brought livelihoods into focus for 127,000 people through lif and set the stage for significant growth in 2024.see to learn: eyeglasses increase a student's ability to succeed in school, boosting learning outcomes equivalent to an additional half year of schooling on average. In 2023, we continued our focus on the see to learn program in india, screening the vision of 505,000 school children and dispensing 95,000 pairs of eyeglasses.see to be safe: equipping drivers with eyeglasses enables them to see more clearly, thereby minimizing road hazards. To lower the incidence of vehicle accidents and the associated risks of injury and mortality, we screen the vision of truckers, bus drivers, and allied transport workers in major transit hubs with corporate sponsors and ministry of transportation partners. We replicated our see to be safe program from india to africa, launching in nigeria and zambia in 2023. There, governments have increasingly prioritized road safety to achieve sustainable development goal 3.6. We kicked off with partner training and workshops to surface innovative strategies for incorporating vision correction into national road safety initiatives. In 2023, Visionspring screened 163,000 drivers and transport workers, bringing our see to be safe total to 692,000 since 2018.through our institutional partnerships, Visionspring sells bulk quantities of eyeglasses, coupled with training and marketing support, to our network of hospitals, pharmacies, eye care centers, ngos, and government partners. Our partners rely on Visionspring's quality products, timely delivery, favorable payment terms, and sell-through support to expand their vision services to low-income customers. In 2023, we sold 1 million pairs of eyeglasses to our partners, with 61% delivered to india, 28% delivered to our key markets in africa, and 11% delivered to partners in other countries.to support Visionspring's global reach and impact, we have team members based in multiple countries, including bangladesh, ghana, india, kenya, nigeria, uganda, vietnam, and zambia. These teams advance our organizational mission through localized strategies and partnerships, ensuring that our programs are culturally sensitive and effective. Additionally, our support office in the united states provides essential backing, enabling us to exceed our targets and continue expanding our scope. This international organizational structure has been instrumental in our ability to deliver high-quality vision services to low-income communities around the world.