NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Poor physical health and poverty can go hand-in-hand. When those without money suffer from a disability, they either cannot afford to get the medical attention to get better or go deeper into poverty trying to become healthy. In Mexico, two million people suffer from cataracts and even more from other eye-related health issues, making it the second leading cause of disability in the country. Most of them are poor or working class people.

In order to combat this issue, entrepreneur Javier Okhuysen founded SalaUno, what he calls, “a social enterprise dedicated to eliminating blindness in Mexico.” Former private bankers and private equity traders, Okhuysen and his partner decided that they wanted to create a business that could be profitable and provide a community service at the same time. Inspired by a similar operation in India, he decided they would change lives by giving back the most important sense for being able to work: sight.