ESCOLHARES
Our mission: to offer free eye exams and eyeglasses to schoolchildren in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Our mission
CHILDREN WITH POOR EYESIGHT : A COMPLEX PROBLEM
10% of children need eyeglasses. Between 5 and 8 years of age, visual acuity greatly influences development and learning. Studies show that in Brazil parents rarely perceive their childrens’ eyesight impairment. More so, even when the problem is identified, multiple obstacles prevent children from getting the necessary care. Some of these obstacles are, for example, their parents’ work load, year-long waiting-lists for appointments at public ophthalmology clinics and the high cost of eyeglasses.
Donate
OUR BUDGETING, FINANCES AND GROWTH PLANS ARE RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE.
You can also make a direct donation to the Escolhares account at the Postfinance (BIC POFICHBEXXX) bank, in Switzerland.
Account Number: 14-29904-6
IBAN CH07 0900 0000 1429 9043 6
About us
Our actions & goals
- screenings: all schoolchildren are given visual acuity tests by volunteers, in order to identify those with low vision
- eye exams: every child with low vision is examined by an ophthalmologist, at school, where we set up consultation rooms with all the appropriate equipment
- eyeglasses: the eyeglasses prescribed are donated to the children during a party with fun educational activities and a snack
- evaluating and publishing our work
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- 2018: screen and donate eyeglasses to 2’000 children.
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- 2019: screen and donate eyeglasses to 2’000 children, return to the schools visited in 2017.
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- from 2020 on: screen 3’000 children per year.
Our results
AN OVERVIEW OF OUR ACTIVITY FROM 2017 TO JULY 2O22
IN TEN SCHOOLS OF RIO DE JANEIRO, WITH 200 VOLUNTEER STUDENTS & 80 DOCTORS
2022 Expenses
- Administrative Costs
- Personnel
- Communication
- Equipment
Escolhares: a Swiss-Brazilian Partnership
Our Swiss team members are elected annually and takes care of all the administrative and logistical aspects. Once a year, members travel to Rio and join forces with our Brazilian volunteers on the field. This promotes a culture of international collaboration to attain health development goals.
Our coordinator in Rio de Janeiro is the link between escolhares, the schools and the schoolchildren’s parents. To recruit local volunteers, we’ve established partnerships with local medical students’ associations. In turn, our ophthalmologists are recruited thanks to partnerships with university hospitals of Rio.