Being Your Eyes. Our 1212 train of compassion set off from Shanghai...

2020-10-10

“Volunteering with Tibetan blind children through Being Your Eyes has transformed me into a more empathetic and selfless individual, someone who can step into someone else's shoes and see through others'eyes.”

 -          Chloe Mao, Kent School, CT, USA, Being Your Eyes Volunteer, 2016-2020

In August 2020, our 1212 train of compassion set off from Shanghai to Tibet. The theme for this year's this year was Being Your Eyes.

This year, out team of eight to raise funds through WeChat, China's leading social media platform, and www.8turtle.com as a platform for our fundraising mission. The campaign succeeded in increasing funds two-fold from the first three months of this year.

"At the beginning of the year, we were really worried about the program because of the pandemic. But we pushed forward and found another way to serve others, using mobile technology and skills learned outside of the classroom during the outbreak of Covid-19. Utilizing experience from the previous two Tibet trips, three Kent students remotely coordinated the 2020 trip to Tibet with other participating students who were in China. Our volunteer team developed our blueprint, not only providing goods, but also having fun with those blind and orphan children there. Thanks to our teamwork and collaboration, we reached the goal of our funding raising and executed the entire program successfully online and offline. From helping one family ten years ago, we now managed to help more than 75 Tibetan blind children and orphans. That was a big leap and we made it, especially during the pandemic! Serving others and leading a team in Tibet has affected my worldview because it forces me to see the world differently. It is a real eye-opening life changing experience, and ultimately a rewarding one."— Chloe Mao, Program Director 2020.

"At first, I was hesitant. However, in the end, the experience was far more rewarding than any experience I could have had at Kent School." Echoed ZhikaiOscarWang, a rising junior from Kent School.

"To touch another part of society, especially one with such an astonishingly high poverty rate, made me feel grateful for what I am fortunate to have. It is so easy to take what we have for granted." continued ZhikaiOscarWang, a budding journalist and a school reporter.

"I have made a lot of friends from different US private schools by organizing the summer activity. Volunteering with I Love Tibet has helped me to improve my communication skills, time management, and inter-personal skills. I mean, I've certainly learned things that simply cannot be taught in the classroom", added ZhikaiOscarWang, an Online Coordinator of Being Your Eyes, this year.

After ten years, the volunteer team members continue to remain true to our original mission "Small acts of kindness lead to a big change - in an endless cycle of caring." Under the guidance of previous members and mentors, learning by doing, our new members gradually learn that the thousand-mile-long journey begins with a single step. And every single one of those steps is necessary to reach our destination in our heart - understanding how we can make a difference in the lives of others.