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FUJI Optical helps to improve lives of
displaced and vulnerable people in Azerbaijan
Sabirabad, June 2005 - A group of beneficiaries stood in line early morning on 4 June while a team of six from the Japanese FUJI Optical company unpacked their bags getting ready on a second day of their five-day humanitarian mission to Azerbaijan providing free vision screening and eye glasses to refugees, internally displaced and socially insecure people.
 One of the beneficiaries, Marziyya said she enjoyed being one of the best teachers in the Shahriyar camp, which became 'home' to over 2,000 internally displaced people who fled Fizuli and Jebrail in 1993. Since then Marzyya continued teaching mathematics or how she eloquently described it as 'helping kids to grow into normal adults in unfavorable conditions'. But her 'helping' was just about to end few months ago when her eyesight began deteriorating badly causing difficulties for 40-year old women in her meticulous-nature work. All she was advised at the poorly equipped provincial hospital was to go to capital Baku for qualified ophthalmology screening which would mean unnecessary money spending for a women heading family of five.
Marzuyya was already prepared for a trip to Baku, when she was told she could have free check-up and a pair of eye glasses from the FUJI Optical mission to Azerbaijan. On 4 June the FUJI team has examined and distributed glasses to almost 300 people whereas total number of beneficiaries in Azerbaijan reached to some 1,500 persons.
 FUJI Optical's mission to Azerbaijan lasted from 3 to 9 June covering refugees and asylum seekers from Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran as well as internally displaced people living in Sabirabad and Hajigabul districts. Further to this, a large number of socially disadvantaged Azerbaijanis such as elderly, mentally retarded and orphans were selected for free examination and received vitally needed eye glasses. The mission was supported and coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Methodist Committee on relief (UMCOR), International Medical Corps (IMC) and Caspian Compassion Project (CCP).
 Back in Shahriyar camp, Marzuyya Akhmedova sat comfortably reading a newspaper wearing new glasses. 'I am fully equipped to be back to school. It is not only that I can see things better' says Marzuyya 'I think with these glasses I can better see my future, I mean, now I am fully able to do what I always enjoyed doing…helping kids to grow into normal adults in unfavorable conditions'.
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