Lulu, 6, practices braille, which allows her to read anything from mathematics and scientific equations to music and foreign languages. |
Love is Blind
writer: stephanie kinnunen
photographer: sean gallagher
China is home to an estimated
eight million blind people
—the world health organization |
A place of refuge exists for 30 visually impaired Chinese orphans. In 2002, Guillaume and Delphine Gauvain realized there was a lack of specialized care for these children and were moved to provide a home and specialized education for them. The Gauvains founded the Bethel Training Center for the Blind (Bethel) and took in their first three blind Chinese orphans in 2003. Now Bethel creates a family-style atmosphere for 30 blind and visually impaired orphans.
Infants up to young adults from 15 different orphanages across China live and learn in Bethel’s loving environment. |
Bethel has become an important part of the community. It employs approximately 50 local staff who care for the children
24 hours a day. |
Delphine and Guillaume relax at Bethel with their foster son David. Although he is not
blind, david was the first special needs orphan they took in. David was born with a cleft
palate which was later surgically corrected. |
Xiao Xin (background), 3, was left at an orphanage when he was only a few months
old. When he arrived at Bethel he was not only blind, he had undergone surgery for a
combination of congenial heart defects. |
Wen Jun, 11, is waiting for noodles to be served at lunch. |
Lulu, 6, waits in line to wash her dishes after lunch. Although she is completely blind, she is learning to become independent. |
| Bethel's mission is "to care for, educate and train
Chinese visually impaired orphans towards professional
independence in a home environment." Several teachers
are employed at Bethel to provide the children with
their basic education in addition to skills like reading
Braille. Bethel's curriculum also emphasizes art, music
and exercise programs. |
Lulu practices reading braille. |
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