World Sight Day photo contest

THE World Sight Day will be celebrated on October 8.

In conjunction with the global celebration, Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) organises a photography contest that is aimed at raising awareness on its global sustainability programme, "Seeing Is Believing".

The photo competition carries the theme "The Difference of Sight".

In view, photography enthusiasts are invited submit their entries that encapsulate the difference that their eyesights make to them and how they see things differently.

No limit has been set for the number of entries, so public can send as many entries as they want. All photos submitted must be in resolution of 300dpi and must be accompanied with a paragraph of no more than 100 words detailing on when and where the photograph was taken and how the photo relates the theme.

Entries must be submitted digitally via email to SeeingIsBelieving@sc.com and accompanied with the participant's full name, identity card number, valid contact number and mailing address.

Incomplete details will not be accepted.

The closing date for entries is on September 30.

Held in partnership with Canon, the winning photo will receive a grand prize of a Canon EOS1000D kit with EFS 18-55mm image stabiliser lens, Canon EOS Crumpler bag and Canon t-shirt.

Photos will be judged based on the context of the photo to the theme.

Danny Quah, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank stated: "The ability of sight makes such a vast difference in our everyday lives and it is an ability that is easily taken for granted."

He said that through this competition they hoped to raise awareness on the cause of avoidable blindness in the

community.

"We would like to thank Canon for partnering with us in this event that is close to our hearts," he added.

Andy Ang, General Manager of Premium Banking as well as a "Seeing Is Believing" champion of SCB said: "Seventy-five per cent of all cases of blindness are actually avoidable with main causes such as uncorrected refractive error or cataracts and which can be easily cured via corrective eye glasses or a simple low cost operation."

He denoted that blindness does not just affected the individuals, but also the family members and the communities. Ang added that tackling avoidable blindness was not just a health issue, it was an issue of the economic development of communities.

Vincent Goh, General Manager of Interhouse Marketing commented: "I am very pleased to be part of this initiative and I hope our contribution will help to make a difference in our community."

The bank's "Seeing is Believing" is a flagship community programme that was founded in 2003.

It was introduced by the bank staff as a response to a health issue that resonated globally.

This programme has helped to build a healthy community and supported the economic growth by helping the visually impaired people, and at the same time helped their dependents, families and communities.

The programme has also progressively evolved from curing blindness to prevention and building sustainable eye-care services and capacity.

In Brunei, SCB raised funds for "Seeing Is Believing" through various platforms.

The bank actively supports the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education for its various sponsorship needs.

The bank also supported the Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind by providing an office for its use.

Visit www.standardchartered.com.bn to find out more about

"Seeing Is Believing" and SCB's other sustainability programmes. Send your entries now.

The Brunei Times