SCOJO Foundation

Scojo Foundation sells eyeglasses to the poor in developing countries through the use of vision advisors (MicroFranchisees). Scojo foundation began its operations in El Salvador and has expanded to India and Guatemala. They foresee new operations in Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan within the next three years.

Scojo Foundation has set three primary goals: 1) Increase the number of people with access to affordable reading glasses. 2) Create jobs for local entrepreneurs. 3) Facilitate access to comprehensive eye care.

Scojo’s basic business model is to provide women with low-cost eyeglasses and train them on how to conduct basic eye exams and how to sell the product. They operate as a franchisor and the women as franchisees. This type of a MicroFranchise is similar to a traditional franchise model.

Start-up costs are between US$115 and US$130 depending on the country. A woman can earn around US$80 a month. They sell reading glasses for between US$5 and US$10 earning a 50% margin. They require women to sell at minimum 10 pairs a month; the highest number of sales by one woman in a month thus far is 96.

Scojo no longer provides loans for women; franchisees are required to find funding on their own. Scojo would like to expand operations into other countries by partnering with other NGOs.

The invention of spectacles more than doubled the working life of skilled craftsman, especially those who did fine jobs: scribes and readers, instrument and toolmakers, close weavers, metal workers. Because the lens of the human eye hardens around the age of forty, it produces a condition similar to farsightedness (actually presbyopia). The eye can no longer focus on close objects. Eyeglasses solve that problem (“The Wealth and Poverty of Nations” David Landes, 1998).

1.6 billion people world-wide are in need of reading glasses. “Blurry up-close vision is often the only obstacle standing in the way of continued productivity and prosperity later in life. Readymade reading glasses are a simple, inexpensive solution to blurry up-close vision yet they are unavailable in many countries throughout the world” (ScojoFoundation.org).

The Scojo Foundation feels it has a “responsibility to provide a product and service that is truly superior. For too long, the global economy has failed to recognize the power and influence that people living on less than $US1 a day can have. Scojo Foundation is working to change this perception through a simple pair of reading glasses and a determined woman entrepreneur.”

Scojo Vision, LLC. provides the foundation with reading glasses at a low cost. In addition they donate 5% of their profits. Scojo Foundation then trains local women to perform basic eye exams and sell reading glasses at an affordable cost. The women act as distributors/MicroFranchisees. The women are owners of their operation; they buy and own the products they sell. Scojo works with women as do microfinance institutions, with a key goal to promote gender equality.

The cornerstone of Scojo Foundation's philosophy is the empowerment of women through small enterprise. Inspired by the significant impact of access to micro-credit for women in developing countries, Scojo Foundation believes that if a woman has access to capital they are more likely to re-invest in their families. Whether it is through paying for their children's education, improving their homes, or feeding their family, women are vital to the success of their families.

In order to successfully train women entrepreneurs as Scojo Vision Advisors, we undertake intensive training courses in marketing, eye health screening, financial management, and, most importantly, women's empowerment. Many of the women we work with live in communities where they are economically marginalized. It is often felt that women should not be allowed to start their own businesses and realize their own opportunity for economic success. So when these women first start their training they are quite apprehensive. At the end of our training, however, the Scojo Vision Advisors become empowered. We teach them how to talk to their husbands and families to enlist their support. This component of our training has resulted in many husbands and children directly helping their mothers and wives in their businesses.

Scojo’s objective is to provide reading glasses at a low enough cost that everyone has access to eyewear regardless of their economic status. Using women to accomplish this objective is an efficient method of targeting the poor.

Success Stories

Saving Her Business

Vijaya Laxmi
Age 53
Andhra Pradesh, India

Vijaya Laxmi is a 53-year old seamstress in rural Tandur district, Andhra Pradesh. Six years ago, her shirt-making business was her primary source of income. She would sew about 10 shirts a week, bringing in an income of Rs. 400 ($US8). Then presbyopia set in, and it became all but impossible for Vijaya to thread a needle and do the necessary detailed work that her profession demanded.

She began to rely on her granddaughter for help, but was left virtually helpless during the daylight hours when her granddaughter was at school. As her output diminished, the stores where Vijaya sold her shirts began to source them elsewhere. She did not know of any place to get glasses locally, and could not afford to take the day-long trip to Hyderabad to seek help.

In October 2001, Vijaya found out that a woman in her village was selling eyeglasses through Scojo Foundation's rural distribution initiative. She sought her out to have her eyes checked and bought a pair of gold-rimmed +3 reading glasses.

Since then Vijaya Laxmi has begun sewing again. She finds the glasses comfortable to wear and also uses them to perform household tasks such as separating stones from rice without help from her family. Scojo's distribution through L.V. Prasad's Vision Guardians will work in the same type of rural regions and in the same way as Scojo Foundation's ongoing rural distribution initiative.

Starting A New Life

Rosi Hernández Campos
Age 39
Apopa, San Salvador, El Salvador

At 25 years old, Rosi, already the mother of one, found herself pregnant and in an abusive relationship. Having entered college several years earlier and dropped out because she could no longer afford the tuition, Rosi's opportunities were unpromising.

She remained in her often violent relationship until she saved up enough money from washing her neighbor's clothes to escape with her two children. Having persevered, Rosi managed to return to school and become a doctor's assistant in a local clinic before becoming a Scojo Vision Advisor.

Rosi has become one of the program's best sellers and has been selected to become the program's first Regional Sales Supervisor. With this new role, Rosi will help established Vision Advisors be more successful and mentor new Vision Advisors.

Rosi has recognized a dramatic increase is her self-confidence since she entered the program and would like to help other women realize their potential. "My children and neighbors are proud of me," she boasts.

Rosi now has four children, is active in her local government and is engaged to be married this spring. Her dream is to open a large health clinic in her community where families can come to receive first-rate services in a safe environment.

The costs for initiating a Scojo small business are roughly US$120, depending on the country. This cost involves the glasses provided in the franchisee’s initial kit. They offer four different lines of reading glasses and other accessories and are able to sell them for US$5 to US$10.  Franchisees earn an average of 50% on each sale. To ensure commitment from their Vision Advisors, Scojo requires the women to sell a minimum of 10 pairs a month to maintain Vision Advisor (franchisee) status. Women running their own business (franchise) can earn upwards of US$80 a month, some earn more. For example, a woman in El Salvador sold 96 pairs in one month. This is indeed a significant income for many people in developing countries.

The Scojo Foundation business model meets two primary needs of the poor. (1) They provide affordable reading glasses to poor people; (2) and they do so through training local distributors, thus creating jobs. Scojo uses a unique technique in selecting their Vision Advisors. The following diagram outlines their organizational structure.

Scojo Foundation staff identifies its Scojo Vision Advisors through an intensive recruitment process designed to enable candidates to demonstrate their initiative, their desire to learn and improve their lives as well as their entrepreneurial talent. Selected candidates are then invited to attend a multi-layered training that combines interactive classroom-style learning with real life experience.

After the initial training, Scojo provides the women with the necessary equipment to start their own business. The typical equipment kit includes “an initial inventory of 20 pairs of reading glasses with a display and carry case, eye charts, a uniform shirt, repair kits, an identification badge, and a sign to place outside their homes.” Initially Scojo provided loans to the women in order to purchase the equipment; however, they soon learned that they were becoming a loan administration agency. This was not their goal. They also found that women were reluctant to attend bi-weekly meetings if they were unable to make their loan payment. Now Scojo operates under two models: they either provide the initial setup for free or on a consignment basis.

Scojo continues to support the Vision Advisors and acts as a franchisor by providing bi-weekly training meetings. The meetings are conducted by local Scojo staff who teach the Vision Advisors new strategies. The meetings also allow the women to analyze their own performance, discuss best practices, and replenish their inventory. These meetings also provide social support similar to microfinance meetings.