介绍:
For schoolchildren, being able to see the blackboard is imperative to their education. In China's countryside, many students who suffer from myopia lack the resources to improve their vision. Today, Doris Wang brings you the story about a Sino-American organization's insightful solution to this problem.
In 2010, Sam Waldo left his home in Houston, Texas in United States to teach English at China's rural Yunnan Province.
(SB 1,male, English)
"I first came to China with Teach for China, to go to a rural area and to get to know the people and lifestyle there and hopefully to help some kids with their English-learning. I've been fascinated by Chinese culture and society ever since I started studying the language. I was really excited to get the opportunity to go to the rural areas in China."
Throughout his stay in Yunnan, he found that it wasn't a lack of papers or books or even well-trained teachers that's standing between his students and their education.
(SB2, male, English)
"We discovered much to our surprise that many of our students, one of the main issues facing them in regard to getting a good education were extremely simple. They needed corrected vision and they weren't getting the proper treatment. We found a huge fraction of our students had horrible eyesight, yet the majority of them did not have eye glasses even though they clearly needed them."
Despite China's incredible economic achievements over the past few decades, there is a growing gap in education between rural and urban students. Over 200 million children in rural China have limited access to quality education; 20 percent of which have vision problems, further reducing their chances of gaining the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the classroom.
In 2012, Sam Waldo joined the Non-Governmental Organization, Education in Sight, which works to ensure that students don't drop out of school due to their vision problems. They partner with the local school administrations and doctors in rural communities to schedule eye exams at school, so that all students have an opportunity to get their eyes tested. After students are tested, Education in Sight delivers eyeglasses directly to students through corporate sponsorship and crowd funding.
According to teacher Yang Xiao, who also volunteers for Education in Sight, the organization's work benefits both the students and teachers.
(SB3, male, Chinese)
"A lot of students, for various reasons, do not have eyeglasses which led to poor academic performance. After they received their glasses, there are clear improvements in their studies. For teachers like me, I don't have to worry whether or not my students could see the blackboard and rearranging their seats to accommodate them. I could just focus on my teaching."
Not only are students' academic performances affected by their vision, the inability to see the blackboard also deflates their confidence in their abilities. According to Sam Waldo, students often lose motivation for learning as they think the reason they are unable to answer basic questions or read basic phrases is because they are not smart rather than the fact that their inability to see is getting in the way of learning. He says he has seen an immense change in the students' attitudes towards learning as a result of the program.
(SB4, male, English)
"The impact on our students was just like night and day. If you could imagine being in a classroom and needing glasses your entire life but either not being able to afford them or not having access to them or simply not knowing that glasses were something that were important. Then, suddenly, you're presented with the ability to see the world clearly. It was really a revelation for these kids."
As for Yang Xiao, his work with the organization not only taught him about this crucial obstacle facing many students in China's rural area, it also gave him the courage to start his own organization.
(SB5, male, Chinese)
"I'm really interested in NGO's. However, I feel that based on my experience and current financial situation, establishing my own organization would be difficult. In the future, I would like to start a social enterprise."
Through Education in Sight, 3500 pairs of glasses have already been shipped to Yunnan and an additional 4000 pairs are on their way there at the end of this year. Both Yang and Waldo says they hope to solve this problem in Yunnan by the summer of 2017.
Even though they're from different parts of the world, Sam Waldo and Yang Xiao both share a passion for helping to change the life trajectory of people in poor communities. Through their work, classrooms are transformed and students are not only given glasses to improve their vision, but now are provided with more opportunities for their future.
Back anchor: So good to hear that. The act is really like a great helping hand that supports these children in the rural areas on their education path.
Thank you Doris for the report.
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