B&M Helps Orbis Raise Over £1m

Earlier this year B&M partnered with international eye care charity Orbis UK as part of their See My Future appeal.

We’re pleased to announce that between 25th March and 23rd June our support helped raise an incredible £1.391 million for the appeal - including Gift Aid and match funding from the UK government.

The appeal, which ran for three months, aimed to raise a significant amount of money to help save the sight of thousands of children and adults around the world, with all public donations matched by the UK government.

The money matched by the UK government will help expand Orbis's childhood blindness project in Nepal. Over three years, the project – known as REACH (Refractive Error Among Children) - will screen over 300,000 children, and where needed, treat them for visual impairments. This will allow them to participate fully in education, changing their lives.

All public donations to the appeal will help support Orbis’s vital sight saving work, wherever it is needed most.

Around the world, 253 million people are blind or visually impaired - with 75% suffering from conditions that are treatable or preventable. For many, visual impairment can be treated with a simple pair of glasses; or a twenty-minute cataract operation that could prevent permanent blindness. Orbis works to ensure that people can access the eye care they deserve, regardless of where they were born.

International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said: “In many parts of the world, avoidable sight loss forces children to drop out of school. A lack of sight can mean a lack of education.

“I am delighted that the UK government has matched £652,425 of public donations to the Orbis’s See My Future appeal, helping to reach a fantastic total of more than £1.3 million. By providing basic eye-care, this money will help give a future to more than 300,000 children across Nepal, shaping brighter futures and ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty.”

Orbis UK CEO Rebecca Cronin said: “Clear vision opens up a world of possibilities – allowing adults to return to work, and children to return to school and contribute to society. Thank you to every single person who contributed to the success of See My Future, and to the UK government for helping us to have twice the impact.”