EYElliance announces the appointment of H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Honorary Board Chair
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EYElliance, a multi-sector coalition that drives the global strategy to close the gap in access to eyeglasses, today announced the appointment of H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Honorary Board Chair.
According to the WHO there are nearly 1 billion individuals around the world living with vision impairment that could be easily corrected with a pair of eyeglasses –most of whom are living in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs). This visual divide has far reaching negative implications on children's ability to learn in school, productivity in the working poor, road safety, adult literacy, and access to digital economies.
Since 2016, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has served as a Vision Champion for EYElliance. During this period the organization, with her steadfast support, has launched, alongside the Liberian Ministries of Health and Education, a comprehensive national school eye health strategy anchored by the new capacity created by the country's first tertiary eye hospital at JFK Medical Centre. Today all children attending public schools who have eye conditions identified by the new initiative receive a free pair of eyeglasses, if needed, and for those requiring advanced care are treated at Eye Centre in JFK Medical Centre free of charge.
In recognition of her commitment to ensuring equitable access to eye care for all Liberians - and children worldwide, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was appointed Honorary Board Chair at EYElliance.
For her part, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said "eye health is a critical link between health, education, and economic prosperity," while welcoming the opportunity to replicate the success of the effort she initiated in Liberia, now embraced and carried forward by the current administration. "School eye health programs, recognized by the World Bank as achievable and affordable for LMICs, have the potential to be remembered as a key turning point in closing the visual divide in our lifetimes," she stated.
As Africa's first elected female Head of State, H.E. Johnson Sirleaf has become a popular symbol of democracy, leadership and gender equity, globally. She continues to champion women and economic empowerment, particularly women in leadership and politics through her Presidential Center for Women and Development. She also remains active within the global development community recently being appointed by the WHO to co-chair the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and named to the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Council advisory council.
"We are honored and humbled by President Sirleaf's continued engagement with EYElliance and are thrilled to be the beneficiaries of the depth and breadth of her expertise within the context of this new role," said Liz Smith, Co-Founder & CEO EYElliance.
About EYElliance
EYElliance is a multi-sector coalition that drives the global strategy to close the gap in access to eyeglasses. We make the case for action and investment in this issue area, ultimately unlocking government funding and crowding in private capital to solve the problem at scale. EYElliance breaks down barriers and unites leaders from across sectors behind one common goal: to unlock human potential, one pair of eyeglasses at a time. Contact information: Jay Corless, jay@eyelliance.org
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