Why did I enroll in this course?

When researching local MBA programs in the area, I purposely looked for an experience that would offer more than a challenging classroom learning environment. After learning about the Global Social Impact Fellowship (GSIF), I was immediately sold on the idea that Lehigh offered exactly what I wanted. Although GSIF was not promised to be one of my courses due to the required application and selection process, I eagerly entered and pushed through my first year of MBA coursework, patiently waiting for the opportunity to apply and hopefully participate in this servant learning experience. GSIF’s model to apply what we are learning in the classroom to real-life social problems, the opportunity for me to make an (almost) immediate impact in the lives of people, and more specifically the option to be able to do so within the educational K-12 system makes GSIF and Save Tuba the keystone experience for my MBA program. GSIF/Save Tuba is aligned to who I am as person – someone who’s goal is to use my knowledge, skills, and resources to help others in need. I was recently interviewed by someone doing research for a project called “People that makes us pause” and her final question to me was, “What would my obituary say?”.  My response was that it would say – someone who served, especially children and worked everyday to make the world around him a better place.

How do I envision this course making you a better MBA student?

During my first year of MBA coursework, I often felt like the odd person in my classes due to my background and experience in K-12 education and the nonprofit world. I enrolled in GSIF hoping that my instinctive nature to serve, especially children, could be further developed by the program that promises to “prepare students to be dynamic leaders who are not only business savvy, but globally aware and economically and environmentally conscious.” GSIF/Save Tuba will make me a better MBA student by providing me a hands-on learning experience that combines business leadership theory with real-life application of the learnings in a project that has global implications.

Lack of proper eyeglasses severely impacts people and their livelihoods by decreasing their productivity at work, limiting or eliminating new opportunities, affecting their quality of life, deteriorating their general health and possibly leading to (preventable) blindness.

What solution do I propose to address this problem?

Vision for All. Lenses with Love.

I believe that there needs to be a coordinated, multi-nation response to address the worldwide need for eyeglasses. To expedite a response, I would recommend forging a collaboration with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and United Way Worldwide (UWW). Both organizations have established worldwide infrastructures that would facilitate providing an almost immediate response. Specifically, both organizations have processes for recruiting, onboarding, and managing a volunteer workforce – at an international level.  Additionally, both organizations have robust fundraising efforts that could be leveraged to raise targeted funds for this effort. Their track record with other parallel global initiatives will provide the needed evidence to demonstrate their capacity with this project and secure funding from both private and public sectors. The combination of the two organizations will provide access to individual, government, and business support for the needed finances and human capital.

One of MSF’s principles is to “provide medical aid where it’s needed the most – independent, neutral, impartial” – making the case for being a natural partner to address the worldwide eyeglass need defined by the Worldwide Health Organizations to be affecting over 1 billion people. MSF has various types of projects related to addressing health disparities such as improving access to healthcare. Although they provide services in over 70 countries to address 21 varying medical issues, eye care and access to eyeglasses is not on their current list of prioritized services.

UWW is the largest privately funded charitable organization in the world and serves over 40 countries and territories. They raise over $5 billion annually from donors that span the globe. Their organizational strength is based on their ability to raise individual and corporate dollars and build public will around select issues. Those two well refined skills make them a critical partner to address the need for eye care. Additionally, one of their three focus areas for impact is to address Health needs of the most vulnerable populations – another important reason for forging a partnership with UWW to address the eye care and eyeglass issue.

A partnership with both MSF and UWW would help expediate creating a global response to this critical issue. The proposed collective response would address two primary barriers: 1) lack of access to optometrist and 2) financial resources needed to underwrite the cost for eyeglasses. MSF would be able to provide an immediate pool of optometrist – the short-term solution to eliminate access. However, in partnership with UWW, the long-term solution will include developing educational programs to grow the pipeline of optometrist in countries like Kenya where the disparity would make it impossible for sustained impact. The latter strategy, a grow our own model, will take longer to accomplish but will help with issues beyond the immediate need for eye care and eyeglasses. The suggested response included launching both short and long-term solutions. UWW’s second priority area of Education makes this an even more appealing project since it further enhances alignment with their organizational efforts. Both organizations have established business models that can be leveraged to address the global eye health needs to create a win-win-win relationship for MSF, UWW, and global citizens in need of eye care and eyeglasses.