Specsavers volunteers support The Hope Foundation

A team of Specsavers volunteers recently travelled to Kolkata, in India, to work in aid of The Hope Foundation.

The charity works with street-dwelling and slum-connected children in Kolkata, providing access to healthcare and nutrition, education, drug rehabilitation, and life skills and training.

During a week-long trip, 3120 patients received eye checks, and more than 2203 glasses were dispensed. Some patients were also referred to Hope Hospital for surgery.

Riya Rose Mathew, an optometrist at Specsavers Ennis, joined the team volunteering in Hope Hospital eye clinic, and commented: “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to return to Kolkata with The Hope Foundation this year. Their work alongside street communities is truly transformative, changing lives for the better.

“It was a privilege to witness the impact of our support, especially the gift of sight we helped provide to hundreds [of patients]. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this possible,” she said.

Two optometry students from Technological University Dublin, Eva O’Mahoney and Liam Schokman, also participated in the trip.

Among the patients seen at the clinic was a young cricket player who feared he may have to stop playing due to his worsening vision, which was affecting his ability to see the ball. His sight issues were addressed to enable him to continue playing.

At the end of the trip, Specsavers presented a cheque of €200,000 (£165,000) to the founder of The Hope Foundation, Maureen Forrest. The donation will play a role in sustaining the eye clinic in Kolkata.

Forrest said: “This programme is the difference between life and death to people who can’t feed their families. Vision is everything to people and for us to be able to support them in their vision journey is a great privilege.”

Specsavers has an ongoing partnership with The Hope Foundation, which has raised more than €200,000 this year, contributing to a total of more than half a million Euros since 2017.