Philanthropic Billionaire MacKenzie Scott Provides Eye Glasses To Farmers In Need

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Some were born blessed, others had to work hard for it, while many also found themselves in difficult situations for the entire lives. The people with money to spare are able to help those in need, and we need to commend the charitable folks who have gone out of their way to do just that.

MacKenzie Scott decided to do just that – to be that philanthropic individual who helps society’s backbone just to make their lives better. Many have expressed great gratitude for what she’s been doing and we can only hope that she’ll be the beacon who others may follow.

MacKenzie Scott was married to Jeff Bezos. While the marriage fell through, she opted to continue living her life and giving back to society. In fact, she donated $15 million just so she is able to provide hundreds of thousands of farmers with eyeglasses that they need.

Many claim that this may be the largest private donation that goes towards assisting uncorrected blurry vision. The money given will greatly benefit low-income tea, coffee, cocoa and artisan workers from third-world countries such as India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.

There are more known charities out there, and many billionaires have pledged billions of dollars to save the world and to help with climate change. With this one, however, a pair of eyeglasses will be a big help that’s both personal and quick.


The money was given to VisionSpring, a non-profit organization that aims to provide better vision to those less than $4 per day. The farmers that the glasses were given to produce around $1 billion each year and are there extremely valuable for the economy. They have been very productive and could be more with the help given.

“The gift from Ms. Scott is an incredible acknowledgment of the power of a simple pair of eyeglasses to unlock earning, learning, safety and wellbeing for people vulnerable to poverty,” VisionSpring’s chief executive Ella Gudwin said.

“And, with this powerful endorsement of our work, we are embarking on a multi-year journey to put Livelihoods in Focus, addressing the massive vision care gap among agricultural and artisan workers in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.”

Scott, on the other hand, was married to Bezos in 1993. This was a year before he started Amazon while working in his garage in Seattle. She said, “There are lots of resources each of us can pull from our safes to share with others – time, attention, knowledge, patience, creativity, talent, effort, humor [and] compassion.” She also added, “In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”

VisionSpring said that the benefits that come with wearing the right pair of eyeglasses are immediate. This can reduce anxiety and depression. This will also be able to enrich their lives because they are able to see the faces and expressions of their loved ones and other people more clearly.


Better vision also comes with long-term benefits. This will also be able to increase productivity and income. It is especially helpful when it comes to doing tasks that require fiddling such as hand-pollinating a cocoa tree or from reading, particularly to farmers who want to enhance and increase knowledge by reading books or going to school.

The donation from Scott was made through Giving Pledge, which is an organization that was set up to push through with the several commitments from America’s richest to give away half their wealth and donate the money to charity and to outreach institutions.

 

 

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