Category: who we are

Our partners

These organisations share with the ICU2 Foundation the desire to have a positive impact on the world. We work together to help people in need through our programs.

Emerald Heights International Schools

“The Emerald Heights International School Indore Ranked 1st Best Day-cum-Boarding School in India. – Ranked #1 in Indore and M.P. by Education World.”

Ermitage International School

“We empower our students to invest in their learning. “

Daly College Indore

“To foster a democratic environment that encourages life long participation in the acquisition of knowledge and is supportive, innovative and demanding of excellence, combining the best of traditions with modernity.”

Dhirubhai Ambani International School

“An International Day School with a view to offering world-class educational opportunities in the city of Mumbai.”

Choithram Hospital and Research Center

A multi-specialty hospital offering a wide spectrum of treatment to patients.

The Lotus College of Optometry

The Lotus Optometric Education Society, a not-for-profit organization, committed to delivering quality education in eye care.

Lions International

“Lions stand for peace and understanding, and we unite through kindness to serve those in need.”

who we are

Commitments & Values

ICU2 Foundation’s ambition is to contribute to the worldwide effort to eliminate poor vision by 2050.

At ICU2 Foundation, we recognize that good vision is essential to learning at school.

ICU2 Foundation’s model of a dynamic and far-reaching service project empowers students, teachers and school communities to actively bring positive change to their communities.

100 schools equals as many as communities involved in the effort to bring clear vision to all!

Seeing well is essential to all the aspects of an individual’s daily life, from education, to health and to professional possibilities, not to mention, one’s overall standard of living. In this way, good vision contributes to a community’s broader standard of living and ability for its members to live a decent life.

Through the ICU2 WORLD’s Federation of School, our goal to eliminate poor vision in a generation can gain serious traction while supporting the hundreds of schools and thousands of young people engaged in the same effort.

who we are

Our roles and impacts

ICU2 is present to ensure standards are met, that the project is faithfully executed in order to ensure quality of care, to build partnerships with local providers, to bring its expertise to the conduct of the project, to ensure follow up and sustainability of the project.

Our foundation organizes projects integrating multiple roles with people from complementary sectors. Students, teachers, health professionals and organizations come together to support the most needy.

Each ICU2 project follows a clearly defined process, with specific intervention objectives. Our approach aims to be controlled, qualitative and replicable.

There are a multitude of roles to fill: administrative, organizational, distribution, logistics, vision screening.

Our main impacts are the number of glasses distributed and the number of cataracts performed on people coming to the eye camp.

Our approach includes aswell a transformational impact of students, teachers, the school community through a unique experience.

Foundation’s staff

It ensures the proper organization of the project, interacts with local contacts and is committed to respecting the ICU2 charter.

Students

They intervene directly in contact with the local population on actions that do not require extensive medical expertise. They participate in the smooth running of services, as well as in logistical and administrative tasks.

Teachers

They supervise the students’ stay and stages of the process. They participate in certain tasks.

Medical Experts

It drawn from the local community, intervenes for specialized tasks such as analyzes and diagnoses.

who we are

Our history

“The journey began during my visit to the slum on the outskirts of Malad, just along the edge of the forest below Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

I couldn’t recall seeing any children wearing glasses.

Upon my return, I proceeded to consult ophthalmologists and opticians, visited clinics and optometry schools, in order to find a way to provide people with an eye exam and glasses and to send children and adults for specialized eye care, including cataract operations or other treatments.

As an educator, I wanted to involve my students in this project and so investigated the possibility of giving them a wide range of responsibilities within the eye screening process.

The innovative piece was turning an eye camp into an international service learning experience for my students and those of our historic partner school, the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai and then later, with the Daly College and the Emerald Heights School in Indore. And so, I created and launched ICU2.”

Christopher L. Hunter

Key Dates

2004-2018

Annual eye camps have screened over 200 000 people and distributed almost as many glasses.

Thousands of adults have received cataract operations without charge.

2016

Creation of the ICU2 Endowment Fund.

2003

First visit to India

Since…

Over 400 students from Ermitage and other European schools have participated in at least one eye camp alongside their Indian student peers and fellow teachers.

who we are

Christopher, Maja & Siddharth

Christopher Hunter

Christopher is a highly experienced head of school who for over 30 years thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of leading an international community that represented more than 60 nationalities. He is passionate about education, and more particularly international and intercultural education, and is committed to service and international partnership. Christopher has been educated in the United States (B.A. in History, Magna cum Laude, Duke University), in France (Licence ès Lettres, Paris X) and in the UK (Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Bath University).

Christopher’s approach to the practice of education and school management has been informed by his research into a number of areas: comparative educational systems, international partnership and learning, educational policy as it concerns school development, international service learning and transformative learning.

Maja Hunter

Maja Hunter has a vast experience in education and in business. She holds a Master’s degree in language acquisition (Bilingualism in Children) and a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication.

Maja taught at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland and at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, before she moved to France and joined the realm of the secondary education. She worked as a Director of Curriculum and Academic Research at Ermitage International School of France.

Maja is a forth generation educator. She believes in the transformative power of student-centered teaching and learning.

Siddharth Singh

Siddharth is the Director of The Emerald Heights International School, Indore. He completed his education from the Stony Brook University in the United States, where he pursued double major in economics and finance and was acknowledged with a distinction CUM LAUDE for economics. He later acquired an MBA with specialization in marketing and finance. He has also done a course on strategic leadership management from IIM Kozhikode and pursued an Educational Leadership course at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Siddharth was selected by Education World magazine as one of the young shining stars of Indian Education in 2017 and was felicitated at the ASMA India’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 Awards 2021’ for his contribution in the field of education. He is among the top 40 brightest young entrepreneurs, innovators, and game-changers under the age of 40 in the field of education.