Eye Care Progam

We invite you to help us to bring eye care to poor rural children in China . Since 2002, we have sent more than 30 American volunteers to teach in the Tu Jia and Miao Minority Region in rural schools in China where the per capita income is less than $200 per year. These  Chinese students are eager to learn about American language, culture, politics and business, which we believe reflects an emerging trend within Chinese society as a whole.  

Our New Eye Care Program in Rural Hunan

In rural Hunan, things such as electricity, consistent health care, and eyeglasses are considered luxuries. To compensate for the lack of eye care and to ward off poor vision, students do mandatory eye exercises each morning for five minutes instead of recess. With more than seventy-five students in each class, you can imagine how the students in the back strain to read the intricate Chinese characters  during lessons. Many students have to crowd into local American volunteers' dorm after class because they need the light to do their homework, otherwise they would return home only to a dim candle, or darkness.

We are working with a group American volunteers who teach in rural Hunan to have optometrists come and give students eye exams. We have provided funding for examination fees for all 9000 students in West Hunan in 2004.

In the future, we want to expand our eye care program to rural Zhangjiajie mountain people, Guizhou rural people and Yunnan minority people.

We hope some American volunteers can go with us next summer to provide eye care. We are also working with some Chinese optometrists. There are thousands of rural students who need glasses. If only we could buy them all ourselves...

Dr. Michael Wong, a Honolulu optometrist at Kaimuki Eye Care Center, has agreed to help us in this eye care program and has given us some good advice. So, we are asking for your help, and for you to donate if you can. Each pair of glasses is less than $10 and your donations are tax deductible. A small price to pay to see this beautiful world, isn't it?   We need used medical equipment and some funding. Mr. Guohua Liu (West region) and Kevin Anderson (East and Midwest region), two of our mainland volunteers, are collecting equipment to ship them to rural China . Their contact information

Mr. Liu
guohua@civiced.org
Fax: 818-5919330, Phone,: 819-5919330

Mr. Kevin Anderson
kanderson205@hotmail.com

Checks can be sent to EAFI at the following address:

Eye Care Donation Project Director
Caroline Kim
Education Advancement Fund International
3356 Francis St
Honolulu , HI 96915