The Student Ambassador Leaders presented their hand-made souvenir to Ivana.

Now in her second year as ORBIS Student Ambassador Captain, Ms. Ivana Wong kicked-off the 11th ORBIS Student Ambassador Campaign at Ying Wa College in Sham Shui Po today. Photos and videos from her trip to Vietnam with ORBIS' 2008-09 Student Ambassador Leaders were also shown publicly for the first time.

The trip involved taking a closer look at the blindness problem in remote Vietnamese villages. "Last year, I visited ORBIS-supported medical facilities in India and gained a better understanding of ORBIS’ worldwide sight-saving mission. In Vietnam, we visited several patients from remote villages and learned all about their unique needs," said Ivana. "As Hongkongers, we enjoy the convenience of many modes of transportation. For these villagers, the nearest road may be an hour or more away. As accessing eye care services in big cities can often take one or two days, villagers simply give up," she added.

ORBIS Student Ambassador Captain, Ms. Ivana Wong, shared her feeling on sight-saving trip to Vietnam with students.

During the five-day trip, Ivana cradled a one-year-old baby who was receiving eye surgery in her arms. She was also greatly impressed by her conversation with a blind teenage boy. She and the Student Ambassador Leaders even helped ORBIS volunteers during a pediatric eye-check in a remote village. "ORBIS does everything possible to help restore the sight of patients in remote areas. I hope that more students in Hong Kong will support this important work by entering this year's Student Ambassador Campaign," said Ivana.

During the official kick-off ceremony, over 1,000 students had fun in a picture-guessing game filled with memories of Ivana's Vietnam trip. While there, Ivana was joined by six Student Ambassador Leaders in bringing laughter and blessings to the home of 16-year-old Lieu Vqan Huan who is sightless. "I was touched by Huan's persistence. When we arrived his home, he played guitar and sang a folk song to welcome us, warming our hearts with his beautiful, deep voice. I sang a song in return to beats provided by the Student Ambassadors. I wish Huan every success in his dream of becoming a professional singer," said Ivana.

Ivana was joined by six Student Ambassador Leaders in bringing laughter and blessings to the home of 16-year-old Lieu Vqan Huan who is sightless.

VIP attendees at the launch included Ms. Mary Lau, Director of Development, ORBIS Hong Kong, Mrs. Bethy Tam, Chief Operating Officer, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and Mr. Roger Lee, Principal of Ying Wa College. At the end of the launch ceremony they presented Ivana and the Student Ambassador Leaders with a giant appreciation certificate honoring their efforts in supporting ORBIS' blindness prevention work in the developing world. In unfolding the giant certificate together, Ivana and the ORBIS Student Ambassador Leaders officially began this year's campaign.

For consecutive years, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited has been a keen supporter of the Student Ambassador Campaign, promoting eye care education to the younger generation. Standard Chartered's global fundraising programme, "Seeing is Believing", aims at eradicating preventable blindness and promoting eye care education around the world. Through with the combined effort of the business and educational sectors in Hong Kong, Mrs. Bethy Tam hoped that the younger generation will become more aware of eye problems and continue to change the lives of millions around the world.

To find out more about the ORBIS Student Ambassador Campaign, please visit www.orbis.org.hk/student.

(From left to right) Mr. Roger Lee, Principal of Ying Wa College, Mrs. Bethy Tam, Chief Operating Officer, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and Ms. Mary Lau, Director of Development, ORBIS Hong Kong presented Ivana and the Student Ambassador Leaders with a giant appreciation certificate honoring their efforts in supporting ORBIS' blindness prevention work in the developing world.