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{{orphan|date=September 2011}}

'''VisionSpring''', formerly Scojo Foundation, is a [[social enterprise]] founded by Jordan Kassalow and Scott Berrie in 2001, a year after Kassalow co-founded [http://www.scojo.com/  Scojo Vision LLC], a designer and distributor of high-end reading glasses.<ref>http://www.draperrichards.org/fellows/visionspring.html</ref>

''' [[Mission]]''': To ensure [[wikt:equitable|equitable]] and affordable [[Glasses|eyeglass]] is available to every individual to live a productive life.

== About VisionSpring in India ==
VisionSpring in India was launched in 2005. About 92.4 million people in [[India]] suffer from [[Presbyopia]], causing them to be less productive in their work. VisionSpring, with its [[business model]], provide [[employment]] opportunities in India by training Vision Entrepreneurs (VEs) to give eye screenings, sell eyeglasses to the different communities and to refe(contracted; show full)

== Impact and Success ==
VisionSpring has impacted India widely, benefitting both VEs and their customers. The organization today provides eyesight to a huge Indian  [[population]], which increased their productivity by 35% and thus their income.<ref>http://www.visionspring.org/newscenter/downloads/news/scojo_news_876.pdf</ref> VEs are empowered with a job that sustains a livelihood though the sales of the glasses. These caused an  
[[aggregate]] increment in the nations’ [[Gross domestic product|GDP]]. By 2007, VisionSpring's "India programme has become the organization’s largest and fastest-growing, training more than 450 VEs and selling more than $100,000 worth of glasses." <ref>Dan L. (2007). "Microfranchising: using markets, community to cure illness, poverty" ''Mint''</ref> In 2010, research in India have shown that VisionSpring has generated $228 million in economic growth and increased the earning potential of an average customer by $381.<ref>http://www.visionspring.org/newscenter/news-detail.php?id=876</ref>

The success of VisionSpring’s  [[capitalistic]] and  [[philanthropic]] operation has been used as a learning example and role model for social enterprises. Stanford Social Innovation Review,<ref>http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/freeing_the_social_entrepreneur/</ref> Handbook of Research on Social Entrepreneurship <ref>Fayolle, A(ed.), Matlay, H(ed.) (2011) ''Handbook of Research on Social Entrepreneurship.'' Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, UK</ref> and Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid: New Approaches for Building Mutual Value<ref>Ted, L, Stuart L. H. (2010) ''Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid: New Approaches for Building Mutual Value''. FT Press, New Jersey</ref> have featured VisionSpring and published its experience to allow other social enterprise  [[industry]] learn from them.  

VisionSpring has won  [[awards]] such as the inaugural [http://mcnultyprize.org/#subsection-2008-winner John P. McNulty Prize] in 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mcnultyprize.org/#subsection-2008-winner|worktitle=2008 McNulty Prize Winner - VisionSpring}}</ref> , the 2010 CASE Awards for Social Enterprising Innovation <ref>http://www.caseatduke.org/events/ESIaward/2010Winner.html</ref> and several others.<ref>http://visionspring.org/newscenter/news.php</ref>

== Shortfalls ==
VisionSpring  [[wikt:pledge|pledge]]s to reach out and serve those who are living under $4 per day.<ref>http://www.warbyparker.com/visionspring</ref> Considering that 880 million people in India lives under US$2 per day,  VisionSpring might not have contributed much to help such a population. VisionSpring might have to reassess the price of the glasses they are selling especially if they are planning to reach out to the larger population in India.<ref>http://www.globalens.com/DocFiles/PDF/cases/inspection/GL1428610I.pdf</ref>

Being a social enterprise, VisionSpring aims to be  [[Self-sustainability|self-sustainable]], however it still relies heavily on  [[charitable organization|charity]], it managed to gather $1.7million in 2010.<ref>Forbes Asia; Feb2011, Vol. 7 Issue 2, p26-26, 1p</ref>

The VEs, who will conduct eyesight screening, are trained shortly within 3 days, the reliability of their assessment skills can be questioned.<ref>http://inspiredeconomist.com/2011/08/31/visionspring-a-model-toms-shoes-would-be-wise-to-adopt/</ref>

== References ==
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{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Ophthalmology organizations]]