Global petrochemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) recently provided free eye-care to 10,000 schoolchildren aged six to 18 in New Delhi, India, with plans to aid an equal number by the year-end. SABIC launched the next phase of their program entitled “They See, They Learn” on Wednesday in New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, Janardhanan Ramanujalu, vice president, SABIC South Asia, said: “SABIC has undertaken a large-scale comprehensive eye care program covering screening, vision correction, treatment and surgical support for government and government-aided schools in the national capital region as part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility commitment to create lasting value across the economic, environmental, human and social dimensions.”
In an email reply, the program organizers said on Friday that the campaign is focused on education. “There is a direct correlation between vision and education. Children and parents from less privileged backgrounds are often not aware that their education is being hampered due to poor eyesight, which is easily correctable,” the organizers stated.
“Through our program, we seek to address this issue by offering screening, detection and treatment of vision-related problems through collaboration with the department of education, government of the national capital territory of Delhi and the Rotary Club. We are happy to have reached 10,000 less privileged children so far, and hope to reach another 10,000 children by December 2014,” they said.
“The fairly high rate of around 15 percent of the children screened needing spectacles or further investigation confirms that our initiative is of crucial importance.”
SABIC has organized the program in collaboration with Rotary International, and the Nidarshan program of the Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojana, the school health scheme of the Delhi government.
According to the Rotary Eye-Care Center, over 20 percent of children below 18 years of age in India require vision correction but are not aware of it.
The Rotary Club welcomed SABIC’s support and said that 10 percent of students tested currently need spectacles, while 5 percent have been diagnosed with other issues and would be referred to specialists for further free treatment.
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.