Standard Chartered’s ‘Seeing is Believing'

Wednesday 12 October 2009

Standard Chartered Group, under it’s `Seeing is Believing’ (SiB) Phase I program restored the eyesight of 56,000 people through cataract surgeries. Phase II helped restore the sight of a million people. The goal of Phase III, which was to raise $10 million by 2010 to make a difference to the lives of 10 million people across 20 countries, was met three years ahead of the schedule. Under the Bank’s Phase IV SiB program, SCB Group has set a new vision of investing USD 20 million in sustainable eye care services to 20 million people from 2008 to 2013 under the SiB.

Led by the employees of Standard Chartered, the `Seeing is Believing’ (SiB) initiative has proved highly successful in engaging staff and raising the profile of Standard Chartered globally.

It may be recalled that there are 37 million blind people in the world and yet a staggering 75% of this blindness was either preventable or is reversible.

Nepal has blind and potentially blind population because of poor distribution of eye care facilities, low economic status of the people and geographic differentiations. According to Nepal Blindness Survey 1981, cataract was the leading cause of blindness occupying more than 70 percent of the total blindness. Blindness has remained a severe public health problem in Nepal.

To mark the World Sight Day 2009 and with the objective of making a difference in Nepal in an effort to eliminate avoidable blindness, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd and Tilganga Eye Center (TEC) signed an agreement on 12th of October 2009. As per the agreement, TEC will conduct at least 15 screening camps between October 2009 and July 2010 for the underserved population of Kathmandu Valley and it’ neighbouring districts and the Bank will sponsor cataract surgeries at the Tilganga hospital in Kathmandu for 700 needy patients from the targeted 6,000 OPD cases to be screened in these camps. The agreement was signed by Dr. Sanduk Ruit, Medical Director on behalf of TEC and Mr. Sujit Mundul, CEO of SCBNL at a special function held at Tilganga Eye Center, Kathmandu.

These cataract surgeries and other eye care facilities are being extended from the funds raised by the Bank through Walkathon, an annual event of the Bank and other Charity events. SCB Nepal is organizing Walkathon 2009 on 21st of November this year. The Bank and its people conduct various awareness and fund raising events for its community initiatives such as ‘Seeing is Believing’, `Living with HIV/AIDS’ and other Community activities. It may be noted that the Bank has so far sponsored more that 4,000 cataract surgeries in Nepal over the last few years.