YEREVAN, August 29. /ARKA/. The Union of Armenian Doctors of France (UMAF) with the assistance of ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK implemented a public health charity program in the northern province of Lori, called "Spectacles for Armenia", the press service of the bank reported.

It said in the final stage of the program, a team of 9 doctors examined as many as 500 children in 9 days preparing also spectacles for 327 of them. The head of the team, Petros Ohanyan, said UMAF has been visiting Armenia for 15 years to carry out the program.

‘I come to Armenia in spring. We work with nurses, who have a retraining course so that before the arrival of the team of doctors they conduct a preliminary study and organize an ophthalmological examination of children. Without the support of ACBA, we would check less children and provide less spectacles. Together with ACBA we can expand our activities, which we have been conducting for the last 15 years," Ohanyan said.

Ohanyan's group, on average, provides 500 pairs of spectacles every year not only to children, but to the elderly as well. During the year, some 3,500 children were checked in the town of Spitak and nearby 20 communities.

ACBA was established in 1996 as part of EU’s TACIS program. As a result of a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation between ACBA Bank and the French Credit Agricole the latter became the biggest shareholder of ACBA in 2006, September. ACBA was restructured, becoming a closed joint stock company and was renamed ACBA CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK. -0-