Vision for a Nation Foundation Wins Top Prize at the UK Charity Awards 2016

London, 14 June 2016: Vision for a Nation is proud to announce that it has been awarded Top Prize in the "International Aid and Development” category by the United Kingdom’s Charity Awards Programme – the UK charity sector’s most prestigious and longest-running awards programme.

The award was based upon the measurable success of its ground-breaking nationwide primary eye care programme in support of the Government of Rwanda that now provides local and affordable eye care to 100% of the nation’s 10.5 million people. Vision for a Nation proved "demonstrated achievement” in all ten "Hallmarks of Excellence” – including leadership, innovation, effectiveness and sustainability.

Vision for a Nation was presented with the award at a ceremony at the Mermaid Theatre in London on Thursday 9 June, hosted by former-BBC television personality, Bill Turnbull. "International Aid and Development” was one of ten categories.

Tania Mason, Editorial Director for the Charity Awards organiser, Civil Society Media, congratulated Vision for a Nation on winning the highly-coveted award, saying: "We had a record number of entries this year and the standard was particularly high. Vision for a Nation Foundationshould be very proud to have won their category. Their work has delivered amazing results. For 17 years the Charity Awards have been identifying and celebrating the fantastic work that UK charities do and the rigorous judging process ensures that only the very best-run charities win awards.” Charity Awards Judge Su Sayer, Chair of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "This is a win for the charity, a win for the Rwandan government, a win for everybody – a real no-brainer.”

John Rhodes, Chairman of Vision for a Nation, comments: "We are extremely honoured to be recognised with this prestigious award. With Vision for a Nation’s support, Rwanda has become the first emerging nation in the world to provide all of its people with local access to affordable eye care. It is testament to the vision and generosity of our Founderand the commitment of Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the Minister of Health in Rwanda, and of our staff and other partners.”

James Chen, Founder of Vision for a Nation and the Clearly global vision campaign, comments: "Globally, 2.5 billion people have no access to local and affordable eye care.Good vision empowers and transforms lives on every level. Vision for a Nation Rwanda is the culmination of many years of hard work, innovation and partnership with the Government of Rwanda, and demonstrates what can be achieved through leadership, focus and execution. Rwanda provides a model for other nations around the world to follow and represents a significant step forward in our quest to bring improved sight to millions of people globally.”

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Editors Notes

Vision for a Nation Foundation is a high-impact UK charity that seeks to support national health ministries in select emerging nations to build sustainable nationwide access to eye care and treatment. It has been supporting Rwanda’s Ministry of Health since 2012 and has trained nearly 2,000 general nurses, developed a national supply chain for glasses and medication, and launched an outreach programme that now extends the services to 100% of Rwanda’s 15,000 communities. Nearly 550,000 Rwandans have already been screened and the services are fully-integrated into the country’s universal health care system. Philanthropist James Chen is the Founder of www.clearly.worldand the visionary behind Vision for a Nation who has been instrumental in its development and funding. The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and UBS Optimus Foundation have also provided major funding to implement the Rwanda programme.  www.visionforanation.net

The Charity Awards 2016, now in its sixteenth year, is organised by Civil Society Media, publishers of Charity Finance, Fundraising and Governance & Leadership magazines. The Charity Awards is sponsored by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). CAF's mission is to motivate society to give ever more effectively, transforming lives and communities around the world. They help people and businesses support the causes they care about, and provide financial and funding solutions designed specifically for the charitable sector. www.charityawards.co.uk

The Distinguished Panel of Judges for the 2016 Charity Awards