By Liz Smith | Director of Business Development
VisionSpring sold 30,621 pairs of glasses between January – March 2012. Of those, 16,957 were sold in India, 8,384 were sold in El Salvador, and 5,280 were sold through our Global Partnerships. We expect to sell our 1,000,000th pair by early June, resulting in $216 million created in economic impact.
In late 2011, VisionSpring forged a new distribution channel that enables our partners to benefit from our knowledge base and streamlined supply chain. VisionSpring’s systematized partnership model, Global Partnerships, adds value to other NGOs through the sale of glasses. NGOs have the option to incorporate the sale of reading glasses into their work either by partnering with VisionSpring to train an entrepreneur network similar to our Vision Entrepreneurs, or by utilizing a simplified on-site retail approach. Partner organizations assume full cost of the training and supplies required to launch the program allowing VisionSpring to bring high-quality, affordable eye care services to new countries without the input of additional resources. Today, Global Partnerships is our fastest growing distribution channel with glasses being sold in 18 developing countries.
Recent partners include:
o Fundacion Paraguaya, Paraguay
o Pan American Silver Bolivia, Bolivia
o Indego Africa, Rwanda
o Living Goods, Uganda
o Community Enterprise Solutions, Guatemala, Ecuador, South Africa, and Nicaragua
o Seva, Tibet
o Diaspora Community Services, Haiti
o Burro, Ghana o Specsavers, Cameroon
o GoodWeave, Afghanistan
o Roshan, Afghanistan
o AMOS Health and Hope, Nicaragua
o Programs for the Development of Women and Children in Honduras, Honduras
o SAFICO, Haiti
o Bashir Foundation, India
o Mas Kapital, Mexico
o Peace Corps, Vanuatu
o Mama Ellen, Ghana
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