Marchon and Nike team up to launch new child eye health project: “We See”

Marchon Eyewear, the third largest eyewear manufacturer in the world,

and Nike have teamed up once more to develop a new children’s eye health project, known as “We See,” which aims to reduce visual impairment in South African school children by 90 percent.

The project, which has been launched in collaboration with the National Education and Health departments of South Africa, as well the Brien Holden Vision Institute, will also promote eye health care and set up in school screenings for children who may have visual issues.

Marchon and Nike previously conceived the eye health project back in 2012, as a response to the lack of access people had in South Africa to routine eye care and specialized eye wear. The two companies have established the base of “We See” in an eye health clinic, at the Soweto Nike football center, where since 2010 a community health program has run, promoting education and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

“The time we’ve spent in Soweto with Nike in 2012 has reinforced the human impact that providing eye glasses to someone in need can have,” commented Claudio Gottardi, president and CEO of Marchon. In the new clinic, eye specialists from the Brien Holden Vision Institute aim to provide over 30,000 children with free eye care and eye wear, donated by Nike Vision, over the next three years.

“As a company, Nike is committed to helping people live healthier, active lives, and vision is a key component of that,” added Anwar Jappie, marketing director for Nike Africa. “Nike Vision has a tremendous opportunity to remove a barrier that is preventing kids in Soweto from getting the most out of their education, sports and life in general.”