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Initiative
Through the Looking (eye)Glass
VisionSpring (India) is addressing presbyopia by distributing
affordable glasses and also creating employment opportunities at bottom of the
pyramid, finds out Rita Dutta
 Hailing
from a small and non decrepit village called Lalapet village in Mahbubnagar
district of Andhra Pradesh (AP), S Srinivas, in his late 30s was a busy tailor
for two decades, until his fading eyesight hampered his occupation. His declining
eyesight was now unable to spot the eye of the needle of his sewing machine
and the fine stitching required for tailoring. His story is shared by the carpenter
Bramhaiah Vaddla (45), belonging to the same village. His waning eyesight meant
that he could not chisel the woods to carve a crafty piece of furniture. Both
of them have fallen prey to presbyopia, an age-related physical condition that
sets in between 35 and 40 years. Often for villagers, their failing eyesight
spells doom. Presbyopia is more of a problem for rural folks primarily because
they have no access to a facility or are simply ignorant about the fact that
just a pair of reading glasses, available over the counter, can cure their visual
defect. An estimated 25 crore Indians suffer from presbyopia, out of which around
18 crore are from rural India.
Beacon of Hope
Thanks to the sincere efforts of not-for-profit organisations like VisionSpring
(India), thousands of weavers, tailors, carpenters, farmers, goldsmiths, and
mechanics of various Indian villages with presbyopia have been restored back
to their occupation. VisionSpring (India) has accomplished this task by screening
and distributing affordable reading glasses. As of beginning of July this year,
10,361 camps have been organised, over 86,000 people have been given reading
glasses and over 46,000 people were referred for checkups at other clinics by
VisionSpring (India).
Reaching Out
 "The
70,000 BRAC workers would help us sell around one crore pairs of glasses
in eight years"
- Arunesh Singh
Regional Director Asia
VisionSpring (India)
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 "VisionSpring
empowers entrepreneurs with a opportunity to sell a high-impact and high-margin
product"
- Maruti Ram
Vice President
India Sales & Innovation
VisionSpring (India)
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"Going all the way to the town to consult a doctor and
getting a pair of glasses is an expensive proposition. We lose wages for two
days and end up spending as high as Rs 900 inclusive of charges for the glasses,
doctor's fee and wages for two days. The cost-effective glasses from VisionSpring
at our doorstep is a far more feasible option," says a grateful Srinivas,
back on his tailor shop in the village. Thousands of 'Srinivases' across the
country is reaping the benefits of this intervention programme. To be precise,
villagers in six states—AP, Gujarat, West Bengal, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar— have accrued the benefits of this grass root intervention programme
by VisionSpring (India).
Modus Operandi
The awareness for the camps is created by door-to-door visits,
fliers, posters and announcements with the help of drummers. Explains Arunesh
Singh, Regional Director Asia, VisionSpring (India), "Every three months,
VisionSpring organises camps in a village for screening. The camps, which are
held for three days, are mostly conducted in panchayat offices and schools."
During the camps, villagers are screened for presbyopia and
working (reading) glasses are distributed to them on-the-spot. A register is
maintained of the people who come for check-ups and a bill is issued when one
is given a reading glass. There are no extra costs for consultations. The glasses
cost only around Rs 160 as they are imported from China in bulk. Patients requiring
further referrals are sent to credible local eye hospitals that offer free or
subsidised services.
Vision Entrepreneurs
VisionSpring (India) is not only addressing presbyopia in rural areas. In this
endeavour, it has wonderfully interwoven good business practice with social
enterprise. It is creating employment opportunities for low-income men and women
in villages by training them to gather villagers for camps, screen patients
with presbyopia and also sell glasses. These bunch of social entrepreneurs are
referred to as Vision Entrepreneurs (VEs). Each VE is in-charge of 20 villages,
which covers a population of 50,000. The close proximity of the VEs to villagers
also help the latter contact VEs if there is any issue with the glasses.
Explains Maruti Ram, Vice President, India Sales & Innovation, VisionSpring
(India), "VisionSpring empowers entrepreneurs with a proven business model
and opportunity to sell a high-impact and high-margin product. VisionSpring
and its channel partners loan entrepreneurs the business in a bag itself."
A VE is not an employee of VisionSpring, but one who works on commission basis.
VEs repay VisionSpring for the glasses once they have been sold. The VEs earn
Rs 40 on every pair of eyeglasses sold. Take the case of Sangeetha Chinchatti
(31), who works part time as an ASHA worker under the NRHM scheme, and is working
as a VE for the last 10 months. Interestingly, many customers have also turned
VEs. Srinivas Myadam (42), who was compelled to change his job of book-keeping
at the village Self Help Groups due to his failing eyesight, not only had his
vision restored with a pair of glasses from VisionSpring but also enrolled himself
as a VE. Today, Myadam earns as much as Rs 3,000 as a VE. Today, the network
of VEs has expanded to become 518 in rural India.
The Training Module
A four-day training programme has been designed for VEs, whereby training on
technical expertise is imparted as per the training module designed by Hyderbad's
LV Prasad Eye Institute and business skills by VisionSpring. And how are these
VEs chosen? "A 10th standard qualification, with good communication skills
having a good network within the community is selected to become a VE,"
says Maruti.
Unique Channels
A village drummer creates awareness about VisionSpring screening camps |
One of the screening camps |
Vision Entrepreneurs (in blue) making rounds in villages to check effectiveness
of the reading glasses |
VisionSpring (India) has spread its robust network in six
states through three different types of channels.
Direct Sales: "The first is direct sales channel
which trains and supports own network of entrepreneurs or VEs," informs
Singh. This is being tried in Andhra Pradesh, where it operates in the districts
of Mahbubnagar, Prakasam, East Godavari and West Godavari, by creating a posse
of 518 VEs.
Franchise: The second channel is through franchise
partners or channel partners with local organisations. This is mainly to foray
into new areas. "The motive is to use their networking to penetrate our
target populace," says Maruti.
It has tied with up 20 various franchisee partners. For instance,
it has tied up with Self Employees Women`s Association (SEWA) in Gujarat, World
Health Partners in UP, NIDAN in Bihar, Village Welfare Society in West Bengal,
Gram Vikas in Orissa, Ambuja Cement Foundation in Maharashtra and Care Foundation
in Maharashtra.
In February, this year it inked a 10-year contract with Bangladesh
Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), whereby BRAC will replicate the model of
VisionSpring. "The 70,000 workers of BRAC would help us sell around one
crore pairs of glasses over a period of eight years," says Singh.
The franchisees are selected after due diligence and only if there is synergy
between both the organisations. "The tie-up with franchisees begin with
a pilot study for a span of six months and is extended further, only if the
pilot study is a success," informs Singh.
Retail partners: The third model is partnering with
retail organisations to distribute low-cost glasses to urban and semi-urban
communities. VisionSpring has tied up with Apollo Pharmacies to make available
Vision Spring glasses to urban populace in all its outlets in AP.
The Parameters
The selection of the states to foray into are based on lower levels of access
to eye care services, higher population density and presence of organisations
with large rural networks.
| US-based Dr Jordan Kassalow, a practicing eye doctor,
founded VisionSpring (formerly Scojo Foundation) in 2001 to correct an unmet
need for working eyeglasses in the developing world, which was preventing
millions of people from living full and productive lives. He believed that
no one should lose their livelihoods because of a lack of working eyeglasses,
a simple, inexpensive product that is widely available in the US, Europe
and Japan.
In 2001, Scojo Foundation partnered with George
Soros' Open Society Institute, LV Prasad Eye Institute and SHARE Microfin
Limited to undertake the first pilot project in AP. Sixteen women micro-entrepreneurs
were trained to responsibly screen customers and distribute near-vision
glasses. The women received micro-credit loans to purchase a varied inventory
of near vision glasses and start eyeglasses business in their communities.
With support from dedicated field staff of the partner organisations the
16 women earned decent profits and the goodwill of their community and
repaid their loan which is a testimony of the success of the pilot. With
the help of the lessons learned from the pilot, VisionSpring has set up
its operation in Latin America and simultaneously worked toward setting
up a legal entity in India. In 2005, VisionSpring had set up its office
in Hyderabad.
The funding for VisionSpring comes from USAID, Acumen
Fund, Rockfeller Foundation and various family foundations. The cost of
operation is Rs 18 million per year, out of which only 25 per cent is
recovered so far.
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Challenges in the Path
It is an arduous task to reach out to the target population of 250 million.
"Distribution of the glasses is the biggest challenge. Here, our channel
network is of help," says Singh. Recruiting professionals to work in such
a set-up of social enterprise, whose scope of work is mainly in villages, is
another challenge. The early success of the organisation has, however, helped
it get fresh talent from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand. But the biggest
hurdle is to train low income group to become VEs in a span of four days. "We
have to constantly guide them. We have District Co-ordinators who constantly
provide support to VEs and have monthly meetings with them," says Singh.
What's Next?
The immediate target is to reach out to over a lakh customers by the end of
this year. And it would not digress its focus from eye care. It would also work
on improving its networks by tying up with more channel partners.
In the pipeline is scaling up of operations in AP through the franchise channel.
It is in discussions for tying up with LEPRA and PSI as channel partners.
VisionSpring (India) is working with a company in Denmark who are developing
new distant sight glasses. VisionSpring had conducted a pilot test of this product
in Gautemala. Currently, the experts in the field of eye care are evaluating
the results of this pilot.
On the anvil is introduction of photo-chromic lenses with UV protection in the
price range of Rs 225 to Rs 300. "Photo-chromic glasses have the property
of forming a shade on the lens in sunlight. These glasses double up as sunglasses
for those who have to wear their glasses constantly. However, it is also important
to provide UV coating to these lenses, without which they might damage the eye,"
signs off Maruti.
VisionSpring is indeed doing a commendable job by catering to the needs of thousands
for whom losing their eye-sight is synonymous with losing their livelihood.
Now, it all depends on their leadership skills and networking to make their
presence felt across the country.
rita.dutta@expressindia.com
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