21 pilot projects for inclusive business equipped over 3,000 people with affordable vision care in the last quarter of 2014. The Mexican 2.5 NVG initiative accelerated in January, with 3,000 new wearers in just one month. It plans to reach 30,000 people who don’t have access to vision care in the poorest regions of Mexico in 2015.
The most successful pilot event, a rural campaign in partnership with Vivir con Salud and the Marketing Saludable y Etico foundation (MSE), targeted indigenous populations living in Puebla State. Many travelled more than 3 hours from the mountainous region of Sierras to attend the event. All of the 874 people tested were found to need vision correction. 857 chose to buy an affordable pair of 2.5 NVG glasses. The others were referred to a vision center for treatment.
A total of 50 million people need vision correction in Mexico, but 35 million of them do not have the correction they need.
The local Essilor team carried out a series of 2.5 NVG pilot campaigns in 2014 working with various NGO partners in urban and rural communities, as well as running several Business to Enterprise (B2E) initiatives. Partnering with third parties was found to be key in order to reach a larger number of people in a shorter time. These partners also facilitate access to local authorities who support the campaigns and, in some cases, subsidize part of the equipment cost for their citizens.