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

    In 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, two medical students, Katia Steinfeld and Guilherme Horta, led a task force to perform vision screening tests at a small elementary school. The children with low visual acuity were offered free eye exams at the University’s clinic but many of them never made it to their appointment due to the reasons mentioned previously.
    In 2016 Katia moved to Switzerland and came up with a more efficient plan to offer free eye exams and spectacles directly at the schools. This concept guarantees that every screened child presenting low visual acuity receives his or her pair of eyeglasses.
    As of September 2017, 1’000 children have been screened and received a complete eye exam directly at their schools. Following this success, the Escolhares Association was created in Lausanne, in October 2017.

    Our actions & goals

    Our actions are planned to optimize our resources, in order to benefit a maximum number of children. One action is made of 4 steps:
    1. screenings: all schoolchildren are given visual acuity tests by volunteers, in order to identify those with low vision
    2. 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
    3. eyeglasses: the eyeglasses prescribed are donated to the children during a party with fun educational activities and a snack
    4. evaluating and publishing our work
    In the years to come we hope to keep improving our actions. It is essential that we expand while also providing follow-up care by periodically returning to the schools.
      • 2018: screen and donate eyeglasses to 2’000 children.
      • 2019: screen and donate eyeglasses to 2’000 children, return to the schools visited in 2017.
      • from 2020 on: screen 3’000 children per year.

    Our results

    AN OVERVIEW OF OUR ACTIVITY FROM 2017 TO JULY 2O22

    0
    CHILDREN SCREENED
    0
    CHILDREN EXAMINED
    0
    EYEGLASSES DONATED

    IN TEN SCHOOLS OF RIO DE JANEIRO, WITH 200 VOLUNTEER STUDENTS & 80 DOCTORS

     2022 Expenses

    CHF 20’000.-
    • 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.

    Images of our association

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