Dr. Jordan Kassalow, co-founder and chairman of VisionSpring, has more than 20 years of experience providing eye care to the world’s poor. Throughout his many volunteer trips, he discerned that by taking the same amount of time, effort and money required to fly American eye doctors to Latin America, and instead, putting those resources into training local women to provide glasses, he would be creating permanent distribution networks to serve local needs after the volunteers were gone. VisionSpring put this idea into practice.
IMPACT AS OF JAN. 2013:
In June 2012, VisionSpring sold its one millionth pair of glasses since inception and has doubled its sales each year since inception. Each pair of glasses sold generates at least a 10% increase in productivity for the wearer, generating an estimated $42 million in increased economic growth throughout the developing world.
VisionSpring currently operates five optical stores in El Salvador, 12 mobile optical stores in India, and delivers glasses to the BoP in 18 developing countries through its Global Partnerships channel.
A pair of VisionSpring eyeglasses can immediately increase a customer’s productivity by 35%.
In partnership with BRAC, VisionSpring has large-scale expansion project throughout Bangladesh. This project will meet the near-vision need of over 90% of the country, will provide income and business training to over 75,000 female community health volunteers and will generate over $600 million in economic impact in one of the world’s poorest countries.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR WORK:
Jordan Kassalow, VisionSpring. For most of us here the need to don a pair of reading glasses is a minor affair.
In the developing world where millions depend on precision work , the degraded vision associated with aging threatens livelihoods and leads inexorably to poverty.
VisionSpring has created a market based, scalable model for delivering quality glasses to the world poor using it's business in a bag innovation as a ready to go micro franchise. Together with its partners, VisionSpring supports nearly one thousand vision entrepreneurs, who earn or supplement their livelihood selling reading glasses.
These microfranchises in turn bring the blessing of sight, an affordable price to millions of the rural poor.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Jordan Kassalow.
Congratulations. Thank you.
You're very welcome.
It is with deep honor that I accept this award on behalf of the entire VisionSpring family . Four members who are with us tonight, who must be recognized.
I'll ask you to stand, Peter Lize and Miriam Stone , Graham Mcmilliam, and my wife Erica Kassalow, and my best friend.
I'd like to share a formative story that helped me discover the work of VisionSpring. I met Maria Lopez in 1984, in rural Mexico.
She came into our clinic with her Bible clutched to her chest and her simple request was she would like to be able to read that bible for the first time in ten years. She went ten years without reading her Bible.
I looked at her eyes and quite simply determined that all she needed was a simple pair of eyeglasses. The kind that you can buy at a drug store for under ten dollars here in the United States.
We put the glasses on her face and instantaneously, after 10 years ,she was able to read her bible again.
She was overwhelmed with emotion, she hit the floor, she hugged my legs and started to cry.
And, I remember that moment was one the moments where I felt the most alive in my life. This is the very powerful moment. By the way, this is another one.
The ...thank you. The next day I got to the clinic and Maria Lopez was first in line.
And my thought was, "Oh gosh, I gave her the wrong glasses. I screwed up."
And she found her way over to me and she said to me, she said, "Doctor to you, perhaps, these are just a pair of glasses but to me you have given back, you have given me back my god . That's one story. There are four hundred million people around the world who need simple eyeglasses, so that it can see to work, so that it can see to read, so that they can see to learn.
This award fortifies our unstoppable determination. It will enable us to provide vision, opportunity and hope to hundreds of thousands of Maria Lopezes.
For this, Jeff and Sally, we are forever grateful. Thank you very much.
Skoll Entrepreneur(s): Jordan Kassalow Change(s) Addressed: Healthcare Access and Treatment
Dr. Jordan Kassalow, co-founder and chairman of VisionSpring, has more than 20 years of experience providing eye care to the world’s poor. Throughout his many volunteer trips, he discerned that by taking the same amount of time, effort and money required to fly American eye doctors to Latin America, and instead, putting those resources into training local women to provide glasses, he would be creating permanent distribution networks to serve local needs after the volunteers were gone. VisionSpring put this idea into practice.
IMPACT AS OF JAN. 2013:
In June 2012, VisionSpring sold its one millionth pair of glasses since inception and has doubled its sales each year since inception. Each pair of glasses sold generates at least a 10% increase in productivity for the wearer, generating an estimated $42 million in increased economic growth throughout the developing world.
VisionSpring currently operates five optical stores in El Salvador, 12 mobile optical stores in India, and delivers glasses to the BoP in 18 developing countries through its Global Partnerships channel.
A pair of VisionSpring eyeglasses can immediately increase a customer’s productivity by 35%.
In partnership with BRAC, VisionSpring has large-scale expansion project throughout Bangladesh. This project will meet the near-vision need of over 90% of the country, will provide income and business training to over 75,000 female community health volunteers and will generate over $600 million in economic impact in one of the world’s poorest countries.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR WORK:
Jordan Kassalow, VisionSpring. For most of us here the need to don a pair of reading glasses is a minor affair.
In the developing world where millions depend on precision work , the degraded vision associated with aging threatens livelihoods and leads inexorably to poverty.
VisionSpring has created a market based, scalable model for delivering quality glasses to the world poor using it's business in a bag innovation as a ready to go micro franchise. Together with its partners, VisionSpring supports nearly one thousand vision entrepreneurs, who earn or supplement their livelihood selling reading glasses.
These microfranchises in turn bring the blessing of sight, an affordable price to millions of the rural poor.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Jordan Kassalow.
Congratulations. Thank you.
You're very welcome.
It is with deep honor that I accept this award on behalf of the entire VisionSpring family . Four members who are with us tonight, who must be recognized.
I'll ask you to stand, Peter Lize and Miriam Stone , Graham Mcmilliam, and my wife Erica Kassalow, and my best friend.
I'd like to share a formative story that helped me discover the work of VisionSpring. I met Maria Lopez in 1984, in rural Mexico.
She came into our clinic with her Bible clutched to her chest and her simple request was she would like to be able to read that bible for the first time in ten years. She went ten years without reading her Bible.
I looked at her eyes and quite simply determined that all she needed was a simple pair of eyeglasses. The kind that you can buy at a drug store for under ten dollars here in the United States.
We put the glasses on her face and instantaneously, after 10 years ,she was able to read her bible again.
She was overwhelmed with emotion, she hit the floor, she hugged my legs and started to cry.
And, I remember that moment was one the moments where I felt the most alive in my life. This is the very powerful moment. By the way, this is another one.
The ...thank you. The next day I got to the clinic and Maria Lopez was first in line.
And my thought was, "Oh gosh, I gave her the wrong glasses. I screwed up."
And she found her way over to me and she said to me, she said, "Doctor to you, perhaps, these are just a pair of glasses but to me you have given back, you have given me back my god . That's one story. There are four hundred million people around the world who need simple eyeglasses, so that it can see to work, so that it can see to read, so that they can see to learn.
This award fortifies our unstoppable determination. It will enable us to provide vision, opportunity and hope to hundreds of thousands of Maria Lopezes.
For this, Jeff and Sally, we are forever grateful. Thank you very much.
LATEST ENTREPRENEUR NEWS
One-third of Forbes Top Social Entrepreneurs are Skoll Awardees on August 12
Forbes just released its list of Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs, and a third are Skoll Awardees or grantees. Congratulations to Martin ...
VisionSpring featured on ABC News and CNN on August 12
Skoll awardee VisionSpring, which gives glasses to the poor around the world, was recently featured as part of ABC News’ ...
