SCB raises over N17.3m to promote eye care in Nigeria

In a move aimed at eradicating avoidable blindness and promote eye care in Nigeria, Standard Chartered Bank raised over N17.3 million ($100,000) towards achieving its Seeing is Believing (SiB) initiative.

The fund is meant to provide over 6,000 cataract and glaucoma surgeries, dispense 2500 spectacles and screen 60,000 people with vital surgical equipment available for over 600 health workers trained in relevant eye care areas to dispense the needed healthcare to Nigerians.

Speaking with BusinessDay, Stephen Evans, regional head, Private Banking Clients MENAP, Africa, South Asia and Europe, Standard Chartered Bank, says the global initiative of the bank is to tackle avoidable blindness in communities across its footprint, especially children and raise awareness of blindness and visual impairment.

While the SiB initiative has reached over 45 million people in over 17 countries through provision of services to prevent, treat blindness and educate communities about eye health, Evans discloses that through donations from customers, clients and staff, the bank has contributed to 2.9 million sight restorations and raised more than $63 million to provide fund for 80 projects globally.

“Standard Chartered Bank demonstrates its firm commitment to community development, service and sustainability across our footprint in Africa through SiB launched in 2003, to celebrate the bank’s 150th anniversary. In helping combat curable blindness in partnership with our clients through financially supporting the corrective surgery work of eye clinics and preventive education on avoidable blindness we seek to celebrate the joy of sight.

“The sponsorship of the art auction in Lagos, which showcases contemporary Nigerian and West African fine art, is a form of celebration of sight and visual arts as well as an opportunity to raise more funds for our campaign and the bank’s global initiative of tacking avoidable blindness. The bank aims to deliver its full ‘One Bank’ initiative in which clients can benefit from an array of services to meet their personal and corporate needs,” Evans explains.

Kevita Chellaram, managing director, Arthouse Contemporary, discloses that the aim of the art auction is to promote Nigerian art, create transparent pricing and ultimately take the art to the international arena, noting since 2012 till date, the partnership with the bank has been able to draw attention to and raise funds for the bank’s eye care centres in the country.

“It is a very good example of how Standard Chartered Bank is committed to positively impacting the Nigerian community through their brand promise,” Chellaram adds.

Seeing is Believing is a collaboration between International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). SiB invests in comprehensive and sustainable eye care projects with a focus on building long-term, local capacity (such as training and infrastructure) to tackle avoidable blindness in areas of high need.

In 2011, Standard Chartered Bank pledged to raise an additional $63 million which would take the grand total to $100 million by 2020. This new commitment would allow the bank fund an additional 35 comprehensive eye care projects globally. These projects range from providing access to cataract operations and preventative treatments in deprived communities.

As part of a new focus, five of these projects are to focus exclusively on providing eye-care for children. One of the child eye-care projects is to be situated in the country and due to launch in 2016.

In support of SiB initiative, fund-raising events have been done to raise $830,000 through employee fundraising and client contributions, which has assisted in funding cataract operations (still ongoing) for thousands of Nigerians.

Alexander Chiejina