Sitting in the front row of his class, Xiao Hang could barely see the blackboard. His teacher had to guide his hand when teaching him to write, and his grandfather would hand him each dish at the dinner table so he could eat. Xiao Hang never, ever thought he would be able to see clearly.

Xiao Hang lives with his father, mother, younger sister, and grandfather. His mom is disabled, his grandfather is elderly, and his father works hard to help his family make ends meet. When Xiao Hang started primary school, his parents felt that they could not take care of him, so they entrusted Xiao Hang to their grandparents who live in a neighboring county. Recalling that summer, Grandpa says, “When Xiao Hang came to live at my house, he would watch TV with his head tilted and could still barely see. I realized he had a serious eye problem.”

The family took Xiao Hang to the hospital for an examination and discovered that he suffered from myopia (nearsightedness) as well severe amblyopia. The doctor explained that amblyopia is a problem of the development of the visual system, and Xiao Hang would need two years of special care to hope for a cure. He might then see clearly as long as he wore glasses. The bad news is that the treatment would cost 20,000 yuan, much more than his family could afford. Recalling receiving the news, Grandpa tears up, confessing, “At the time I thought this child had no hope!”

The turning point came when a social worker encountered Xiao Hang’s case and decided to get involved. World Vision has been working with social workers in Guangdong Province, helping them provide services for children in impoverished communities in the western parts of the province. World Vision provides supervision, professional training, and financial support so that social workers can detect and manage serious medical cases that might otherwise slip through the system. Since October 2018, the Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation has joined forces with World Vision, providing much of the financial support for this work.

It was the trio of World Vision, the Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation, and a kind-hearted social worker that turned around the prospects for Xiao Hang. After his entire treatment was paid for, which took two years, Xiao Hang’s life underwent a huge change.

Today, his amblyopia has been largely resolved and is considered mild. He can see well with glasses and sits in the fifth row of his class. Xiao Hang’s social worker has also helped coach him in study skills, and his progress at school has improved greatly. Xiao Hang has many friends, and comes across as a lively, cheerful boy.

If you ask Xiao Hang what he likes most, he will tell you, “I like to play at the playground—especially badminton and hula hoops, and I love to read!”

In addition to supporting social work, World Vision has collaborated with the Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation to build children’s centers in remote rural areas of Guangdong, Yunnan, and Shaanxi provinces. Together, they have built 26 children’s centers that serve as safe spaces for activities and homework, impacting the lives of over 1,600 children, and helping over 2,000 community adults learn the principles of child protection.

Xiao Hang has a dream: “I want to run a company in the future… a company that sells comics. I want children to have more smiles and more fun.” Thanks to World Vision and its partnership with the Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation, more children like Xiao Hang will be able to realize their dreams.