The Standard Chartered Bank India has announced $ 1.6 million under its ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme, a set of five eyecare projects to bring in innovation and strengthen the delivery mechanism for the needy in 2016-19. Seeing is Believing is Standard Chartered’s global initiative to tackle avoidable blindness and visual impairment. The projects in the country will be delivered through a partnership forged among the bank, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and leading eyecare NGOs across 15 states, thereby pooling in resources and expertise. According to the bank, there are up to 39 million people already blind across the world and more than 90% are in the developing world and deprived urban areas. StanChart CEO Zarin Daruwala said eyecare is a critical component of healthcare. By building eyecare capacity in the country, Standard Chartered is improving health systems and infrastructure. Through sustained investment and innovation and by integrating Seeing is Believing projects within national health systems, the bank is extending the impact of the programme to many marginalised communities in India, she said.
