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Jebsen Exceeds Project Morning Star's Sight Saving and Blindness Prevention Goals, Launched in Partnership with ORBIS

Programme continues to bring significant benefits to disadvantaged patients in rural China
2016-10-27 16:59 4329

HONG KONG, BEIJING and GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Morning Star, the sight-saving project partnership between Jebsen Group (Jebsen) and ORBIS has completed its first five-year milestone and exceeded the original goals set for most of the project activities. During the programme period of 2011-2015, over 1.2 million ophthalmic patients in rural China benefited from over RMB 5.15 million of donations made by Jebsen to ORBIS.

Jebsen's volunteers visited Orbis Flying Eye Hospital
Jebsen's volunteers visited Orbis Flying Eye Hospital

Project Morning Star is a five-year philanthropic initiative by Jebsen in partnership with ORBIS, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to sight-saving and visual impairment prevention Out of the RMB 5.15 million committed contribution to the programme since it was launched in 2011, about RMB 3.65 million has been spent on supporting ORBIS projects in Gansu, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Yunnan and Shandong provinces, as well as the ORBIS MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital.

The remaining RMB 1.5 million will be spent between 2016 and 2018, of which 90% will be spent in training programmes in Shenyang, and the rest will be spent on other areas, which includes surgery subsidies.

Continuous contributions and support from Jebsen has had a strong impact in the community, with the project exceeding its original goals in areas of equipment donated, numbers of medical professionals trained, surgeries subsidised, people receiving eye screening and people educated with eye care knowledge:

Item

Targets in 2011

Results by the completion of training programmes in Shenyang

Pieces of equipment donated

n/a

146

Fellowship for overseas education

12 doctors

10 doctors

Number of medical professionals trained

600

793

Number of subsidised surgeries conducted

120

154

Number of rural eye health workers received professional training

1,200

1,220

Number of people received eye screening

12,000

59,015

Number of people educated / informed with eye care knowledge

120,000

134,900

The project support to the National Prevention of Blindness Training Centre at the Shenyang He Eye Hospital marked a significant milestone for both ORBIS and Jebsen due to its national significance. The objective of this training centre is to develop training models for county level eye care teams as well as a state-of-the-art residency programme in ophthalmology that combines both didactic and hands-on training; and Jebsen hopes that these training models can be recognised and scale them up nationally.

Besides donations, Jebsen also encourages its employees to take part in CSR initiatives like Project Morning Star. By the end of the project, 10 field trips have been successfully completed, including five visits to Flying Eye Hospitals (Lanzhou in 2012, Guangzhou in 2012, Jinan in 2014 and Shenyang, Hong Kong in 2016). Volunteers assisted ophthalmologists in conducting eye screenings for local residents and providing record management on-site.

More than 110 volunteers from different Jebsen locations have visited the ORBIS programme sites in person and over a thousand employees have learnt about this project through orientation programmes, field trip sharing seminars and other company activities.

"We are pleased to have a long term collaboration with Jebsen, as we have in-depth mutual understanding and common belief in supporting those in need in a sustainable way. Jebsen not only provides philanthropic support, but also encourages its employees to participate in the projects as volunteers, which is admirable," said George Smith, North Asia Director of ORBIS International.

"By working with ORBIS, we've brought positive changes to thousands of families where blindness may be the difference between financial stability and life-threatening poverty. It is our honour to have partnered with ORBIS and have contributed to the community where we operate and live. With the successful development of Project Morning Star, Jebsen remains true to its core purpose of enriching people's lives. By restoring their sights and preventing blindness, Jebsen is on a mission to help children, and the elderly, in rural China learn and prepare to reach their full potential," said Mr Helmuth Hennig, Group Managing Director of Jebsen Group.

Throughout its 121-year history, Jebsen Group has focussed on providing outstanding products and services to consumers and driving business growth for clients. Beyond that, Jebsen has stayed firmly committed to social responsibility and sustainability as integral parts of its business activities. Jebsen has demonstrated this commitment by being a responsible business partner, employer and corporate citizen. The Group has pioneered a series of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes ranging from environmental conservation to staff well-being and philanthropy. Project Morning Star is one of Jebsen's most important CSR initiatives and sets a new benchmark for corporate philanthropy in Mainland China.  

Every year since 2011, Jebsen Group has received CSR awards from different organisations including the 2015 Yearly CSR Brand issued by the China Charity Festival, the 2015 Yearly HR Innovation Award awarded by Human Resources Magazine, and the 2014 Best Practice Management Group, among others.

Following the initial success of Project Morning Star, Jebsen is now planning to extend its social commitment in China by building a national model for rural eye care with ORBIS and collaborate with National Institute of Hospital Administration (NIHA). More details will be released when the programme is officially announced at the end of October.

About Jebsen Group

Founded in 1895, Jebsen Group is a focused marketing and distribution organisation. With a long, unique established presence and deep understanding of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the Jebsen Group is committed to support our partners' needs in building market demand, generating and supporting sales, and serving as an important link to customers throughout the region.  With a broad spectrum of consumer, beverage, industrial, and motors products, Jebsen offers some 200 of the world's leading products extensive local market access with a high degree of specialisation. Outside the region, the Jebsen Group enjoys close ties with sister companies in Australia, South East Asia, Denmark, Germany, Middle East and the United States. For more information, visit www.jebsen.com and Jebsen Facebook page (facebook.com/jebsengroup), or follow us on Sina Weibo (weibo.com/jebsengroup), WeChat (id:jebsen1895) and LinkedIn (id:jebsen group).

About Project Morning Star 

According to World Health Organisation, nearly in every minute a child loses sight around the world. 75% of such blindness can be avoided through prevention and early treatment. In some remote areas children may lose the opportunities to see the world because of poverty, lack of knowledge, and insufficient medical facilities. This is why Project Morning Star emerged.

Project Morning Star is a five-year philanthropic initiative by Jebsen in partnership with ORBIS, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to sight-saving and visual impairment prevention Out of the RMB 5.15 million committed contribution to the programme since it was launched in 2011, about RMB 3.65 million has been spent on supporting ORBIS projects in Gansu, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Yunnan and Shandong provinces, as well as the ORBIS MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital. The remaining RMB 1.5 million will be spent between 2016 and 2018, of which 90% will be spent in training programmes in Shenyang, and the rest will be spent on other areas, which includes surgery subsidies.

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161027/0861611201

Source: Jebsen Group
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