HONG KONG SAR – 23 February 2024 – Orbis, an international nonprofit dedicated to global blindness prevention for over 40 years, is pleased to announce the return of its iconic Flying Eye Hospital to Hong Kong after an eight-year hiatus. To express gratitude for the generous support from Hong Kong, Orbis, in collaboration with Hip Shing Hong (Holdings) Company Limited (referred to as “Hip Shing Hong“), is hosting the “Orbis * Hip Shing Hong Flying Eye Hospital See Love Tour 2024” event. Orbis and Hip Shing Hong join forces in 2024 to launch their one-year partnership with the objective to promote eye health awareness within the local community. Hip Shing Hong is the title sponsor of this event signifying the kickoff of the year-long partnership.
Mr. Derek Hodkey, CEO of Orbis and Mr. David M.H. Fong, BBS, JP, Managing Director of Hip Shing Hong (Holdings) Company Limited visited Flying Eye Hospital.
During the nine-day event, the public could take a look at the interior of the aircraft cabin, which has been transformed into a small-scale eye hospital equipped with a classroom, operating room, and recovery room for treating patients and teaching medical staff in developing countries. This tour would also offer visitors an opportunity to witness firsthand how Orbis transforms the lives of countless individuals with eye diseases.
Provided 400,000+ trainings over the past 9 years
Orbis has established 63 sight-saving programs in 11 countries globally through the Flying Eye Hospital. Over the past 9 years, it has provided more than 400,000 training sessions to healthcare professionals, distributed over 500,000 pairs of corrective eyeglasses to patients, and conducted over 28 million eye screenings. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic in the past 3 years, the Flying Eye Hospital adapted by transitioning training programs online to continue their sight-saving missions in different regions. Following its visit to Hong Kong, the Flying Eye Hospital will proceed to Mongolia and Bangladesh, furthering its commitment to fight avoidable blindness.
Mr. Derek Hodkey, CEO of Orbis, expressed his gratitude to the people in Hong Kong for their long-term support. “For over 40 years, Orbis has been visiting various regions worldwide through the Flying Eye Hospital. Other than providing training to healthcare professionals in remote areas, we also invite patients to board the Flying Eye Hospital for surgeries and treatments, successfully restoring sight for many people in need. Through the Flying Eye Hospital tour during its stay in Hong Kong, I hope to encourage interactions between the local community and the crew team, allowing the public to gain a deeper understanding of Orbis’s work. In the future, we are dedicated to lead the global fight against avoidable blindness and develop long-term blindness prevention strategies in collaboration with various stakeholders.”
Hip Shing Hong is committed to giving back to the society. Together with two family foundations, Hip Shing Hong has participated in around 600 charitable projects. Mr. David M.H. Fong, BBS, JP, Managing Director of Hip Shing Hong (Holdings) Company Limited, shared his company’s parallel philosophy with Orbis of empowering individuals through training and skills transfer. “We believe in shared human wellness and happiness, and fulfilling dreams for people, is the true meaning of business existence. In January 2024, we launched a new branding motto, ‘Growing Together’ with the aim of working and growing together with our stakeholders to build a win-win future and give back to society. Sharing a similar philosophy, we have embarked on a year-long collaboration with Orbis, making it the first large-scale community project after our rebranding. Through this collaboration, we hope to promote eye care education to the public and create a brighter future filled with colors for those in need.”
Special thanks to Title Sponsor Hip Shing Hong (Holdings) Company Limited, Vision Sponsor Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation, Caring Sponsor Mentholatum (Asia Pacific) Limited, Sponsor The Divine Grace Foundation Ltd and Wilson Group, Services and Venue Sponsor Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited, Supporting Organization Airport Authority Hong Kong, Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre and Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd for supporting Orbis’s mission.