108 & VisionSpring's Mission
Why 108?We chose 108 as a target number because Ganesh has 108 names and there are 108 mala beads used in Buddhist and Hindu traditions, which help guide the repetition of mantras.
How Discovering Ganesh and the VisionSpring Foundation Connect
Discovering Ganesh is a multi-faceted project that explores the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesh, one of India's most beloved Gods, known as the Lord of Beginnings, Patron of the Arts and Remover of Obstacles. Discovering Ganesh includes a photography exhibition, book and tour (September 1-15, 2008). It was conceived of and is being produced by multimedia artist, Shana Dressler, and her team.
Part of the mission of Discovering Ganesh is to celebrate and share India's artistic and spiritual contributions as well as to collaborate with an organization, which is working with needy Indians to remove significant obstacles. Given that Discovering Ganesh is a visual project, it made the most sense to donate the proceeds of all fundraisings efforts to an organization, which helps to restore vision in a significant way.
What VisionSpring Foundation Does
VisionSpring (www.visionspring.org) is a non-profit social enterprise that reduces poverty in the developing world by training local entrepreneurs to sell affordable reading glasses. For the more than 700 million people living in poverty who don't have access to reading glasses, the loss of near vision can mean the loss of livelihood. For tailors, electricians, goldsmiths, and others whose precarious working lives depend on their ability to see up close, the lack of access to reading glasses can have disastrous economic consequences for themselves and their families. A pair of low-cost reading glasses, long available in every drugstore in the United States, can restore their vision and double their productivity, yet this simple, life-changing product has not yet made its way into the hands of those who live on less than $4 a day.
To reach those in need, VisionSpring empowers local entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses selling this powerful, affordable product in their communities. Each "Vision Entrepreneur" receives his or her own Business in a Bag, a sales kit containing all the products and materials needed to market and sell reading glasses in their communities.
Since 2001, VisionSpring has grown from an idea to a social enterprise that reaches tens of thousands in 13 countries across South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. VisionSpring and its partners have sold nearly 100,000 pairs of reading glasses, referred over 90,000 people for advanced eye care, and support over 1,100 local Vision Entrepreneurs. VisionSpring has received recognition from The Economist, The International Herald Tribune, Fast Company's Social Capitalist Awards, The World Bank, and President Clinton, who remarked that VisionSpring's work will "help hundreds of thousands of people and in the process create a whole new sector of the economy." The fundraiser at East West Living will benefit VisionSpring's program in India.
For a great short film on VisionSpring's Work in India, Click here.
For more information on the VisionSpring, Click here.