L’OCCITANE Charity Fundraising for The Blind

The gift of sight is something we tend to take for granted, especially if we were born with it. We don’t know what it’s like to live in darkness, without the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature. We don’t feel the sense of helplessness that the visually-impaired feel, even more so when they don’t receive the care they should get. Today, there are almost 285 million blind or visually-impaired people throughout the world. Yet, a staggering 80% of blindness is actually preventable.

For the past 14 years, L’OCCITANE and the L’OCCITANE Foundation have been working hand in hand with many organizations around the world that are dedicated to fighting blindness. Since 2006, 500,000 people have benefitted from eye care thanks to L’OCCITANE’s efforts to support the visually-impaired. So far, more than 2 million Euros have been donated to programmes in some 15 countries worldwide. To raise these funds, a special fundraising product is sold in L’OCCITANE stores each year, where all the profits will be donated to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support the visually-impaired.

This year, L’OCCITANE Malaysia invites you to make a difference by participating in its charity fundraising drive.  This marks the 6^th year of the brand’s dedication towards the L’OCCITANE Foundation, where it has been working closely with the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) to improve the lives of the blind and visually-impaired in Malaysia. MAB organizes training to help visually-impaired people achieve greater responsibility and independence in their daily lives, with workshops covering subjects such as basic cooking and home skills. To date, L’OCCITANE Malaysia has raised a total of RM193,240 through its fundraising efforts & a co-funding of RM22,258 from L’OCCITANE FOUNDATION FRANCEC, which are then donated to MAB and a few other beneficiaries including the Women’s Development Department of Selangor and since 2013/2014, St. Nicholas Home in Penang, an NGO dedicated to help its blind and visually-impaired residents.

L’OCCITANE Malaysia’s 2014/2015 charity fundraising drive will be launched in conjunction with World Sight Day on 9^th October to mark this meaningful event and encourage the public to be more aware of the plight of the visually-impaired, and will run for duration of 3 months until 31^st December 2014. The iconic limited-edition collectible is also different from that of previous years, featuring a unique tote bag with the theme, ‘I Care About Sight’. Made from sustainably-sourced cotton, this practical, reusable and eco-friendly bag imported from France is printed with a design chosen by L’OCCITANE’s Facebook fans. Only 30,000 bags have been made worldwide, so it is truly a coveted item to be collected by die-hard L’OCCITANE fans and members of the public who want to contribute their part in helping the visually-impaired.

With the sales of the tote bag, L’OCCITANE hopes to raise a total of RM40,000 for both its beneficiaries of this year’s fundraising initiative: MAB and St. Nicholas Home. The funds will be used to upgrade MAB’s Orientation and Mobility Classroom in its Kinta Valley Centre, Ipoh, with a Braille globe, Braille maps, Braille tiles and tactile stone path. Other proposed mobility equipment include white canes, normal canes and a voice-activated cane, so that the blind and visually-impaired will have the opportunity to expose themselves to more knowledge and practical skills. Another portion of the funds will be channelled to St. Nicholas Home to support its Pastry Training Programme, which allows blind and visually-impaired trainees obtain proper training in baking skills, allowing them to polish their interpersonal skills and pursue careers in the field of baking.

“L’OCCITANE has always been extremely passionate about the welfare of the less fortunate. We are a conscious beauty brand through and through, from the ingredients we use in our products, in respect to both human mankind & Mother Nature, to our support towards the plight of the less fortunate. Through our annual fundraising efforts, we’ve managed to raise a substantial amount of money to help the visually-impaired improve their lives. Of course, this would not have been possible without the support from the public, as well as our dedicated team of people at L’OCCITANE Malaysia. I urge everyone to participate in this year’s initiative for a good and noble cause,” said Clarance Boo, Public Relations Manager of L’OCCITANE Malaysia.

Together with L’OCCITANE Malaysia, you can make a difference. Every contribution counts, no matter how big or small. Let’s work together to shine a guiding light for the visually-impaired, so that they are able to live better lives.  Shop online at www.loccitane.com.my