In cooperation with Dr. Jeson Viñas of Viñas Optical, A Better Chance Foundation has been providing free prescription eyeglasses to students in public elementary schools and high schools in poor communities around Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
Free prescription eyeglasses are given to students with poor eyesight whose families cannot afford them. With our partner optometrist Dr. Jeson Viñas and his team, we visit selected elementary schools and high schools to conduct eye check-ups, and return a week later to provide the students with poor eyesight their eyeglasses.
This project was started in 2001 with the ERDA Technical & Vocational High School in Pandacan, Manila, with the help of school nurse Minda Moncog. We started this project with only 150 beneficiaries. As of 2012, we have given over 7,000 pairs of prescription eyeglasses to students from 29 different elementary schools and high schools in Metro Manila like the Araullo High School and Rafael Palma Elementary School in Pasay City, Camarin D Elementary School and Cielito Zamora Elementary School in Caloocan City, Lupang Pangako Elementary School in Payatas B, Quezon City and to the three Siena College campuses where we have Night High Scholars. We have also visited elementary schools in the neighboring province of Batangas, in Baha Elementary School in Talibayog, Juan Pastor Memorial School in Palindan and elementary schools in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.
200 pairs of eyeglasses are given per Eyeglass Project and it costs P300.00 to sponsor 1 pair of eyeglasses.
