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
- fundraising
- recruiting volunteers
- planning the logistics
- performing eye exams and donating spectacles
- documenting and evaluating 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 5’000 children per year.
Our results
AN OVERVIEW OF OUR ACTIVITY IN 2017
IN TWO SCHOOLS OF RIO DE JANEIRO, WITH 60 MEDICAL STUDENTS AND 6 VOLUNTEER DOCTORS
2017 Expenses
- Fundraising campaign
- Eyeglasses
- Equipment rental
Team members
During every action some of our Swiss team 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 coordinators in Rio de Janeiro select the participating schools, plan the logistics and respond to the schools’ or parents’ enquiries before and after the action. In order to recruit and train volunteers, we organize conferences and workshops in partnership with local medical students’ associations.