MOG enables better vision for a refugee community

Metro Optical Group (MOG), collaborates with Have Hope and the Baha’i Community of Kuala Lumpur Central to enable better vision for a refugee community.

MOG has allocated resources through the programme to the M-Trend outlet at 3 Damansara Mall in Klang Valley to help assess spectacle prescriptions and label them before they are delivered to members of a refugee community in Kuala Lumpur who require them.

According to MOG CEO Datin Bernice Low, MOG was moved by the effort of Have Hope, a grassroot community organisation that aspires to change in the world through participation in social discourses and service projects.

Have Hope has an on-going service project to distribute used spectacles to members of needy communities who are in need of visual aids. Over the years, Have Hope had collaborated with several communities to offer this service.  

“It is a very meaningful project that is in line with our aspiration to help the world see better through continuous innovation. It also is a good way to give used spectacles a second life and divert them away from the landfill,” said Low.

Thankful to MOG for stepping up in lending their expertise and technological know-how to the project, Yuet Mee Ho-Nambiar said that this “is an instance where one act of kindness creates an endless ripple”.

She added that Have Hope is very grateful to have the participation of MOG who had responded enthusiastically as soon as they learnt of the initiative and agreed to come on board immediately. She added that Have Hope is also very gratified for the kind support from the Association of British Women in Malaysia as they very helpfully collected and donated many pairs of pre-loved glasses too.

Have Hope for a Brighter World

Ho-Nambiar explained that the initiative was started by Judyth Gregory-Smith who had for several years collected used glasses in Malaysia, Australia and the UK, and then would personally distribute them to isolated villages around Myanmar for people who have no hope of being able to buy them.  

Sadly, covid 19 put a stop to her travels. Since then, Have Hope continued Judyth’s wonderful work here in Malaysia to needy communities with the help of many friends and well-wishers who would collect and send their used glasses to Have Hope.

Yuet Mee shared that she found it heart-warming that pre-loved glasses that are no longer useful to their first owners get a new lease of life with new owners, who would often express much joy when they receive free spectacles, though pre-used, that improve their vision.

“Just like we did last year, we once again collaborated with the Baha’i Community of Kuala Lumpur Central this year in conjunction with the upcoming Intercalary Days celebration (five days starting March 1 dedicated to charity, hospitality and gift-giving) to carry out this project” Ho-Nambiar explained.

She went on to say that after cleaning the pre-loved glasses, more than 60 pairs of glasses were distributed to Baha’i Community members on February 25, 2023. It brought much joy and delight to the refugee community’s adults and children alike..