EinDollarBrille awarded the Marion Dönhoff Prize 2025

„The OneDollarGlasses prove how much integration is possible through simple but effective solutions,“ the jury explained its decision. It thus honors a project that has already fundamentally changed the lives of over a million people with a simple idea. The 23rd Marion Dönhoff Prize award ceremony took place on November 30 at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. The prize is awarded by Die Zeit, the Zeit Stiftung Bucerius, and the Marion Dönhoff Foundation. The main prize goes to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Both awards are endowed with 20,000 euros each.

„In various project countries such as Kenya, Brazil, and India, the association provides affordable access to vision aids, creates jobs, and contributes to the empowerment of local people,“ the jury further explained its decision. „Access to vision aids is often the first step toward education, quality of life, and social participation.“

Eckart von Hirschhausen was delighted to give the laudatory speech for the Erlangen-based association: he has been following the organization's development for years, knows founder Martin Aufmuth personally, and is enthusiastic about the idea, vision, and courage of its founder.

„Martin, you have a big mission: you want to help people escape poverty,” emphasizes Eckart von Hirschhausen in his laudatory speech. „Does seriously fighting poverty make us poor? No, on the contrary: poor eyesight makes us poor. This stupid handicap causes a global loss of income of 270 billion US dollars every year. [...] Instead of asking what something costs us, we should ask ourselves what it costs us to continue as before. [...] Your superpower is diopters, and your prescription is two lenses and a wire. As ingenious as it is simple. And with this prescription, you make it possible to provide people worldwide with care without a prescription.”

„What has always preoccupied me since my childhood has been the injustice in our world. [...] And during an evening walk, my wife Jelena said to me, “Well, then do something about it.” So he founded EinDollarBrille, which has now distributed over a million pairs of glasses, Martin Aufmuth recounts in his acceptance speech. „It's not just me, that might come across a bit wrong here. There are lots of volunteers and full-time staff all over Germany. [...] Many thanks to everyone in Germany, but also worldwide,” said Aufmuth, visibly moved. „A big thank you, of course, to everyone involved in this award today, behind the scenes, in front of the stage, in the preparation, the jury, the foundation, the time. It is truly a great honor for me to accept this award on behalf of my entire organization today.”

A simple idea that changes lives – already over a million times

What began in 2010 with the development of a simple pair of glasses by math and physics teacher Martin Aufmuth has become a global flagship project: Today, more than 500 employees and numerous volunteers in eleven program countries are working to give people with preventable visual impairments a new perspective on life. This passionate commitment is driven by a shared vision: good vision for all people.

Since the association was founded in 2012, more than one million people have been provided with glasses – and their lives have been changed forever as a result. To achieve this, the ambitious teams at EinDollarBrille have carried out almost 30,000 eye examination camps, reaching even remote villages at an altitude of 4,000 meters. The association also keeps an eye on the global shortage of personnel: EinDollarBrille has developed a powerful one-year training concept for optical specialists. In this way, it creates sustainable jobs in the program countries and effectively supports underserved regions.

A concept that enables profound change and self-determined participation: children who can read the blackboard for the first time are finally able to learn for their future. Adults who regain their eyesight can return to work, secure an income, and provide for their families—a crucial step in the fight against poverty. At the same time, new jobs are created and even remote regions are sometimes reached with basic eye care for the first time. EinDollarBrille impressively demonstrates that a seemingly small invention can change a whole life.

Source: www.eindollarbrille.ch