CAIRO: Last Ramadan, while walking through a poor Cairo neighborhood, Paolo Pirraci, area director for Alcon Laboratories, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, was taken aback when two young boys came up to him and insisted he join them for a meal. Reasoning that these were poor Egyptians who could barely afford to make ends meet, Piracci figured the least he could do was to offer them money. "No sir, you are our guest and we welcome you to join us every night during Ramadan, they replied. Impressed with this gesture of generosity towards a total stranger, Piracci decided that his company, Alcon Labs, should make their own gesture of charity. So, he convinced Alcon to sponsor free laser eye surgeries for the underprivileged segment of Egypt's society, explained Dr Hazim Yassin, professor of Ophthalmology at Kasr Al-Aini Hospital, at a special iftar held last Monday to raise awareness for the program. Working together with Rotary Club le Caire Champollion, Alcon aims to cover the costs of five eye surgeries per month for Egyptians who can not afford the $1,500 it would usually cost them. The surgeries, carried out by Dr Hazim, will take place at Al-Ayoun Al-Dawly Hospital. Dr Hazim performed the first surgery on Sept. 8, restoring the vision of a seven year old boy. He showed guests at the iftar a video of the surgery, which included a touching interview with the boy's grateful mother. Rotary Club le Caire Champollion, the initiative's co-sponsor, is encouraging all Rotary Club members to nominate potential candidates for the surgery. "We want anyone who might know of someone in need, such as their bawab, to contact the Rotary Club, said Dr Hazim.
