Meet Remy Di Ponio, Foresight’s General Manager

Remy has been with Foresight for 10 years and is responsible for the coordination of all of Foresight’s activities, from projects to fundraising, relationship management, planning, reporting and governance.

What is your favourite part of your job?

My favourite part of my job is working with the most remarkable people, from our board members, doctors, volunteers all the way to the local people in countries where we work.

The most rewarding part has been seeing and experiencing the impact and the difference that Foresight as a whole has made in people’s lives over the years. Throughout my entire journey here at Foresight my motivation and passion has been inspired by those stories and they continue to drive me every day.

Where have you travelled as part of your work?

I have had the privilege to travel across a few countries in the Asia-Pacific region; to work and improve on how best we can help the locals particularly in the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. This year, we are also planning to travel to Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Why should people donate?

Every time I come back from an overseas trip I realise how much more needs to be done in those countries around our region. To give a chance to those people still needing to gain access to good-quality eye care, we need more support from people here in Australia.

We are able to help the poorest people in a very cost-effective way. Being a small organisation we do not have big overheads and so most of the donations received go towards the people that we help.

What’s exciting you at the moment?

Prof Billson and I are planning to go back to Bangladesh later this year where everything started for Foresight over 40 years ago. I cannot wait to visit the Chittagong Eye Hospital – the place that Prof Billson helped set up, as well as meeting the local doctors that Prof Billson trained and supported over the years. Fast-forward 40 years and today the hospital sees 1000 patients a day and local doctors who have been trained by Prof Billson now perform about 120 cataract surgeries a day, which is extraordinary! I am not sure how many organisations out there can be proud of such results that Foresight has achieved over so many decades in Bangladesh.