More than a Masseuse: Bethel China Foundation for the Blind
“A lighthouse is a place designed to help you get to a safe place,” Guillaume Gauvain, founder of Bethel China Foundation, told me. The Lighthouse Project is the name of this Beijing-based charity’s fourth training center, set to open in Changping District in October. The site is currently being renovated to accommodate the multi-handicapped blind orphans it will soon house. Bethel has been raising funds since May 2012 and now only has one month left to take care of all the furniture, maintenance, medical, transportation, utilities, rent and administration expenses before they launch. We asked Mr. Gauvain about Chinese braille, games that the visually-impaired like to play and how to prepare blind children for adult life.
Where do you find your children?
All children come from the state-run orphanages with whom we sign foster care agreement yearly. We've had children from 50 different orphanages and 20 different provinces.
How many children have you helped?
Since 2003, we have cared directly for 90 children. Our training and outreach programs have reached about 45,000 orphans through eye screenings, training orphanage caregivers and surgeries.
Why is this cause more worthy than others?
I don't think a cause can be more worthy than another. There are matters of urgency that differ from cause to cause. We chose this people group because of the very high degree of vulnerability they represent. When a child is orphan, blind and autistic in a developing society, what chances does he or she have to live a life with dignity? The chances are one in a million, so we want to be "the one" for them.
What renovations do you need that would make life easier for blind children?
If we had the budget, we would make a few structural changes to the building so that bathrooms and hallways would be more convenient for children in wheelchairs. There is also a room in the middle of the center that we would renovate into a therapy room, which is very useful to make sure the children get enough exercise to improve their balance.
Is being blind here harder than in other countries?
I think the main difference is the level of dedication to independent living skills. In China, due to several factors, it is rare to see a blind person living on her own, going to and from her place of work, making a living other than masseuse, etc. So it is not necessarily harder to be blind, but it is harder to become an independent person being blind.
What’s the main difference you see between children who are born blind versus those who become blind?
As with most things in life, it is often harder to lose something you had than to miss something you never had. Children who become blind have to adapt to a world that feels like it's not their own and go through a season of grief to accept this new way of life. Children born blind will not depend as much on their memory of how things looked like but will tend to be more in sync with their other senses.
For example, some blind children at Bethel will naturally avoid an obstacle even though they do not see it. Some say that they are unconsciously aware of the air passing on their forehead as they move and change of direction when something blocks it.
What games do blind children like to play?
They like to sing. There are playing cards and board games with braille, like Monopoly, and even dice have dots so blind people can play. We also have a game based on smell, to recognize different scents.
How do blind Chinese children read and write?
Yes. Braille is not a universal language and Chinese braille (which was invented by a French guy!) is based on the 54 sounds of the Chinese language. There are several ways to write braille. The most basic one is with a stylus, then you have Perkins brailler which is a braille typewriter, but nowadays most blind people touch-type on a regular laptop and have software which can print out in braille or regular print, or even read back to them what they have written. To write on a computer, they use a screen reader which speaks back to them what they are writing.
How do you prepare them for adult life?
The most important thing is to train them to do things on their own, instead of doing things for them. We often say, we do not help blind orphans, we teach them how to help themselves. The road to independence is long and challenging. For high-functioning blind children (meaning without mental delay), we focus on giving them good English and office training so they can function in a professional environment.
Tell us some of your favorite success stories.
Li Yin came to Bethel when she was about 17. She is now 24 and got a job at the Hilton Hotel, where she works in the storeroom. She manages her schedule, visits with friends, calls me with her cellphone and surfs the Internet to download her favorite MP3s.
Li Qin is 22, she arrived at Bethel when she was 16 from Guizhou. She learned English and one summer some volunteers from the Washington State School for the Blind saw that she had some potential academically. Li Qin finished high school in the US, and just got her Associates Degree in English and Music. She is back in China for a year and works in our PR team!
For more information on the Lighthouse Project, contact Nancy Jiang at 139 1001 1069 or nancy@bethelchina.org. To learn more about Bethel and their impact on the blind orphan community, see last year’s interview with Bethel’s program coordinator here or visit www.bethelchina.org.
Photos: Courtesy of Bethel China Foundation
