AccorHotels Raises Awareness in Fighting for Darkness for the Third Year

Shanghai, China, April 7, 2016 /ChinaNewswire.com/ - 2016 sees AccorHotels continue the Stay for Brightness programme, a three-year corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, in partnership with Orbis. Launched in 2014, the programme helps to prevent blindness and saving eyesight of children in rural China. The objective of the programme is to build a comprehensive pediatric treatment network in China for children in need of affordable quality eye care services and training facilities for eye specialists and doctors through donations in kind or in cash.

So far, the funds raised by AccorHotels have brought greater awareness of the Orbis programme in the provinces of Heilongjiang and Gansu. In Heilongjiang, AccorHotels has sponsored 75 pairs of spectacles for underprivileged children and provided 1,005 preventive programmes to educate parents and teachers on eye care. In Gansu, AccorHotels has provided surgery subsidies for eight children with various forms of eye diseases.

Earlier this year, Michel Molliet, COO for AccorHotels Greater China, said, “This programme reinforces our commitment to corporate social responsibility and giving back to local communities. Thanks to the initiative shown by individual hotels, the programme got off to a great start, successfully promoting awareness and raising money to help alleviate the widespread eye problems in rural areas.”

Darkness To Go Dinner in Hong Kong was one of the CSR fund raising initiatives organized by AccorHotels together with various charity walks and an open golf event in Beijing. In 2014 and 2015, Stay for Brightness fund-raising campaigns were major focuses during AccorHotels’ Solidarity Week where hotel staff were encouraged to support an association that helps the underprivileged within their local community.

Every minute, a child goes blind somewhere in the world and 80% of them do not have access to proper eye care. George Smith, Director of Orbis North Asia, said, "Orbis is honored to partner with AccorHotels for the Stay for Brightness programme again this year. The programme has not only provided funds to prevent and treat eye diseases in young children, but also raised significant awareness surrounding childhood blindness. We look forward to a fruitful relationship with AccorHotels to continue improving lives of the underprivileged."

This year, AccorHotels Greater China will continue to seek co-operation and support for the programme by involving hotel staff in charity walks and various charity sales as well as other events. Hotel clusters are encouraged to organize themed fund-raising events that include charity bike rides targeted to involve some 15 AccorHotels general managers, to raise funds for Orbis. Supplier engagement will be an important part of the programme.