Education for Blind Chinese Orphans

Love is Blind

To conclude 2021 and move into 2022, Bethel’s Love is Blind project provides direct care for 130 children who are blind or have severe visual impairments (a majority of whom are orphans). The children are very young, the majority being 0–5 years old, and in most cases, it is the first time that they receive specialized care for their disability. 

The Love is Blind project has always prioritized quality over quantity. Each child is evaluated and given their own personalized plan to best support their individualized needs and maximize their critical early development. 

Bethel’s six centers provide each child with a safe and loving environment where they receive medical care and specialized education that places emphasis on their emotional and cognitive development, communication skills, and fine motor skills. 

Bethel’s current centers that provide direct support for blind and visually impaired children:

Beijing Center- 21 Children, 12 Staff
Zhengzhuo- 28 Children, 6 Staff
Jiaozuo- 10 Children, 4 Staff
Nanjing- 8 Children, 3 Staff
Shangrao- 53 Children, 6 Staff
Jingdezhen 10 Children, 2 Staff
Total- 130 Children, 33 Staff 

Outreach

Bethel’s second project is Outreach. The project, now in its 12th year, uses research and data accumulated through the Love is Blind project to produce academic and medical materials that are exported to communities and networks in critical need of blind and visually impaired resources for high-risk children. 

Statistics and highlights from the Outreach project over the last year include:

Several of the training subjects taught by Bethel staff include:

• Introduction to Scientific and Technological VI educational products
• Learning Braille well is more important than we think
• Family psychological support for parents 
• Introduction to assistive devices for low-vision children

Overall, the project conducted 7 online trainings with 3,635 attendees. 

To support families and centers in need of blind and visually impaired resources, Bethel donated 629 audio, tactile, and early intervention books to families and organizations such as the China Braille Library, the Shenzhen Early Intervention Center for Blind Children, and the Hebei School for the Blind. 

To increase positive public awareness, Bethel published 260 pieces of content across domestic media platforms, totaling 449,222 views. 

New Projects

As Bethel’s Outreach project enters its 13th year, the dream of exporting Bethel’s training and materials to different countries is becoming a reality. Currently, Bethel is developing materials that can be utilized outside of China. Attached is a photo of Bethel’s manual that is being updated and translated into English, in both book and video formats. The manual, originally funded by C COM, is an early intervention resource book written in Chinese. The free resource book is for parents and caregivers of blind and visually impaired children to learn more about: 

• The anatomy and function of the eye system
• Eye diseases
• Parental psychological adjustment
• Early intervention from birth to 3 years old
• Early intervention from 3 to 6 years old
• Resources available in the community

Bethel is currently researching a specific region of high-risk blind and visually impaired children in need, in which Bethel’s educational materials and training will be tailored. 

Sneak Peak

If you’ve made it this far, you are in for a sneak peak of our brand new website that Fuel Made is graciously helping Bethel build. The website, will make it easier for parents of VI children, volunteers, advocates, and gracious supporters like you to navigate and learn more about Bethel’s projects and free resources. Stay tuned!

Thank You 

2021 was a difficult year financially. Unfortunately, due to health requirements, many of our sites were only permitted for essential staff. Bethel lost the ability to have many of our visitors, adoptive parents, volunteers, and supporters. With limited resources, Bethel would ask for your support, whether that is through grants Bethel could apply for, corporate funding, or supporting our children through our sponsorship program. Anything helps. If you don’t have the means, sharing this newsletter goes a long way. 

Thank you for your support of our children and our plight to help all children with visual impairments. 

Blessings in 2022,

The Bethel team

Links:

• For more information on Bethel, please visit our website here

Bethel's Continued Growth
Bethel now has six full time centers serving blind and visually impaired orphans. Bethel’s headquarters is the Beijing center, with satellite sites in Zhengzhou (Henan Province), Jiaozuo (Henan Province), Nanjing (Jiangsu Province), Shangrao (Jiangxi Province) and Jingdezhen (Jiangxi Province). A total of 125 children are being served, with the majority of them being blind orphans, in addition to several children with cerebral palsy and down syndrome.

Bethel Children Working with Animals for Theraputetic Benefits
The Animal Welfare Association has been working with our children in Beijing to mentor them on how to care for the animals at the center. Throughout the years Bethel has had many animals at the different project sites. These animals provide invaluable therapeutic benefits to the children’s growth. The organization will continue to bring dogs and cats to the Beijing project site to work with our children. 

Bethel Curriculum Going Digitial and Multilingual 
Internationally, Bethel is seeking to export our Chinese educational curriculum and knowledge that we have developed for years. We are currently developing materials that can be useable to countries of various languages, with the intentions of reaching blind and visually impaired children in critical need. More importantly, we are looking to take these projects digital, making them interactive, leading the way in the VI educational- technology sector. Bethel is looking for professional partners that would be interested in the development of this project.

Special Thanks to the Chengpin Dental Clinic
Bethel would also like to thank the Chengpin Dental Clinic. Over the last six years, the Chengpin Dental Clinic has been providing free dental services to Bethel children. The dental clinic conducts checkups and treats the children’s dental needs. Through six years, the Chengpin Dental Clinic has provided 573 services for 191 children.

Supprting Bethel
With the slowdown of the worldwide economies and companies, Bethel has had a tougher time raising funds this year. For the end of the year, Bethel still needs financial support to help cover heating utilities, a portion of our Beijing center’s rent, and staff salaries. Support of any amount would be so greatly appreciated. If you would like further information please contact Zach@bethelchina.org.

Thank you for your continued support of the precious lives that you are investing in. May this find you well. Blessings from all of us at Bethel. 

Links:

• To learn more about Bethel click here