In May 2014, 30 students traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of the Social Enterprise Institute’s (SEI) Field Study program to work and learn as microfinance consultants. The students and the Northeastern staff arrived in the Dominican Republic bearing 1,500 pairs of reading glasses to be distributed across poor communities. SEI received the glasses from VisionSpring, the non-profit partner of Warby Parker, as part of a $5,000 investment.
The investment resulted from the 2013 Annual Tom Moore Impact Investing pitch, where SEI students and board members gathered to analyze the impact of a number of social enterprises. VisionSpring was chosen as the organization that would be most likely to scale and use the investment effectively. VisionSpring’s mission is driven by the belief that glasses not only provide people with basic human dignity and the ability to see, but also empower people with gainful employment thereby providing for themselves in a basic way. The focus on empowerment is most clearly seen by the “Vision Entrepreneur Model.” Rather than distribute glasses for free, VisionSpring identifies community leaders in need of gainful employment, trains them to test the eyesight of fellow community members, and teaches them how to sell the glasses at an affordable price to their community. Providing a bifurcated impact is what differentiates VisionSpring from traditional healthcare-focused organizations that often rely solely on handouts to provide access to resources like glasses.
With our goal of distributing 1,500 pairs of glasses during the Dominican Republic Field Study in May, Olivia Allen, CSSH ’14, and I attended the Clinton Global Initiative University conference in March held at Arizona State University. It was there that the implementation plan for the VisionSpring project came to fruition. We attended panels focused on impact measurement and project development. We were forced to ask ourselves tough questions and think about the challenges of distributing these glasses in the Dominican Republic. How could this opportunity be leveraged to make the greatest impact?
Upon returning to campus, we forged new and utilized existing partnerships with community development-focused organizations in the Dominican Republic that identified a need for VisionSpring. We decided on three partners with which we organized four separate “Vision Trips.” Due to our limited inventory, we adapted the traditional Vision Entrepreneur Model and designed alternate methods of distributing the glasses. We also had to design an effective training method for students who had never conducted eye exams before.
On May 17th, about two weeks into the Field Study, our group of 30 students arrived at Mission Emmanuel, a non-profit organization that worked in the surrounding neighborhood of El Cielo, a community outside of Santo Domingo. We were greeted by over 50 community members who were lined up and ready to have their vision tested. In that moment, I think all of us silently hoped that we had effectively planned, remembered to bring all the materials, and organized the glasses. Gathering all the students in a room, the staff and I split everyone into their assigned task groups and explained their responsibilities. We set up rooms where the vision exams would be conducted, and organized the community members waiting outside to ensure that we tested everyone on a first come, first serve basis. Once the students understood their roles and had all the supplies they needed, the first vision tests began. Shortly after, the first reading glasses had been sold. Continuing for the next four hours, we tested nearly 200 people. Not all received glasses, since a number had distance-vision problems that our lenses would not help, but being able to successfully perform so many tests in such a short period of time was incredible. I was not the only student dumbfounded by the smiles on the faces of these community members as they walked out the door wearing new glasses, some seeing clearly for the first time in years. I was particularly moved by the number of school-aged children we were able to help that day. These glasses would perhaps be the change necessary to perform better in school and maybe even help forge a better future for their communities.
The following week, we had our second Vision Trip, this time testing the eyesight of Alta Gracia employees and family members. Alta Gracia, a fair-trade clothing factory, was excited to have us, as many of their employees performed detailed sewing work and therefore needed to see their work clearly up-close. Our group was able to similarly conduct about 200 exams as we did at Mission Emmanuel, and in less time.
The third trip was different as we traveled to El Caño, a more rural community with fewer resources and economic activity. We modified the Vision Entrepreneur Model again adjusting to this environment. For one week, we drove for hours to El Caño where we interviewed community members seeking a leader to perform vision tests and sell glasses. One woman we interviewed seemed to play a significant role in El Caño. Jenni Perez Maneis previously owned a successful business, though was currently unemployed. She was interested in taking on the responsibility of conducting vision tests and selling the glasses at a reasonable price. After minimal training, it was incredible to watch Jenni take ownership over the vision tests as word spread throughout El Caño. Due to our limited supply of glasses, Jenni understood the work was to be short-lived. However, it was evident that her new role in the community was nevertheless empowering and perhaps with the training and experience itself will impact her future role in serving her community.
The fourth and final Vision Trip was led by a Teaching Assistant, Taylor Holland, and myself in partnerships with MOSCTHA, an organization that works primarily with Haitian communities in the Dominican Republic. We asked MOSCTHA to identify nearby community leaders and invite them to receive Vision Entrepreneur training at the Santo Domingo office. Taylor and I brought the remaining 900 pairs of glasses to the MOSCTHA office and successfully trained fifteen leaders on one of our final afternoons in the Dominican Republic.
Implementation of the VisionSpring project was finally complete. While the project was only a small component of the overall Field Study, it turned out to be incredibly successful and impacted all of us. In a country rampant with inequality, poverty, and lack of opportunity, we were able to contribute in some way by improving dignity for the people we served.
Photo: Jenni Perez Maneis (back center) conducting eye exams in El Caño
