Bethel Training Center for the Blind

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Bethel is a not-for-profit organization that provides foster care, education and professional training for Chinese orphans who are blind or visually impaired. The Project’s training center, named The Love is Blind Project, is located on a 17-acre property, near a small village outside Beijing. The organization was founded in 2002 by a French couple, Guillaume and Delphine Gauvain.

In addition to providing quality care and education for blind orphans, the Project envisions the development of a community that is self-sustaining and respectful of the environment. We are currently producing our own eggs, fruits and vegetables, as well as raising chickens, goats and cows. Our use of the raised-bed gardening method, allows our visually impaired students to work independently in the garden.

This is a model we hope to reproduce in other parts of China and the greater Asian community.

The Project in its current location offers services for up to 60 children, and includes these aspects:

1. Foster Care: five separate houses where we strive to create a family atmosphere, providing 24-hour care for our children
2. Education: our school offers classes in English and Chinese Braille, Conversational English, Chinese, Mathematics, Science, Orientation and Mobility, Daily Living Skills, Physical Education, Social Studies, etc…
3. Professional training: in farming, gardening, language translation and piano tuning

We place great importance on providing a variety of exciting activities for the children, including sports, arts and crafts, field trips, music and entertainment, all of which are especially designed for the blind and visually impaired.

The following items are available for our children on site:
- playground
- climbing wall
- outdoor swimming pool
- gymnasium
- workout room with exercise machines
- pony rides
- mini farm
- tandem bicycles