AIG gives $5 million to ORBIS for blindness prevention

New York-American International group Inc. (AIG) has given a $5 million grant to ORBIS International to sustain and continue the growth of the group's long-term blindness prevention programs in Vietnam, China, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Latin America.

Geoffrey Holland, ORBIS international executive director, said the fight against avoidable blindness requires comprehensive, long-term solutions and the country programs will build sustainable eye care infrastructures and services.

According to estimations by the World Health Organization nearly 37 million people worldwide are blind and 124 million people have such poor vision normal life is impossible. The catch is 75% of those people don't have to be blind and that is where ORBIS comes in.

AIG has been a big supporter of ORBIS, being involved with their Flying Eye Hospital and aiding in launching the country programs. The current program will run from October 2007 through September 2012. The partnership was announced at the 25th Anniversary celebration of ORBIS in New York city on March 1st 2007.