A ceremony was held at the First Teaching Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on November 27, 2012, to celebrate the official opening of a new professional medical institution that will treat children with amblyopia.

A ceremony is held to celebrate the official opening of a new professional medical institution that will treat children with amblyopia in Urumqi, capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Xinjiang Women's Federation/ SuiJian]

Amblyopia, colloquially known as lazy eye, is a common disease among children, with an incidence rate of 3-5 percent on average. It is more common in poverty-stricken regions and has serious negative impacts on the development, normal life, physical and mental health of affected children. 

This latest effort was made possible by Gucci (China), a branch under the French PPR Luxury Group in China, as part of a charity project jointly launched by Gucci and the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) in 2011 to help treat poverty-stricken Chinese children suffering from amblyopia. 

At the ceremony, Vice President and Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and Vice Chairperson of the CCTF Zhao Donghua expressed her appreciation of Gucci's consistent efforts to help underprivileged children across the country in the past several years, and called on local women's federations to fully implement the charity project. 

Meanwhile, President of Gucci (China) Shen Xiangmei vowed that the company will continue supporting charity efforts in China, and said that she hoped it would benefit more children suffering from the condition. 

Since 2008 to date, Gucci has donated a total of 14.13 million yuan (US$ 2.7 million) and helped 830 underprivileged children with amblyopia. The company also funded the establishment of a medical institution to treat children afflicted by amblyopia in north China's Hebei Province in 2011. 

Also in attendance at the ceremony were Vice President of Xinjiang Women's Federation and leaders from the local government. 

Leaders present gifts to attending children at the ceremony. [Xinjiang Women's Federation/ SuiJian]

Local kids display their performance at the ceremony. [Xinjiang Women's Federation/ SuiJian]

Attendees pose for a group photo at the ceremony. [Xinjiang Women's Federation/ SuiJian]

(Provided by Xinjiang Women's Federation)