Empowerment through Integration (ETI) provides the emotional support necessary to bring out the potential of visually impaired youth, empowering them to be confident in their abilities. We encourage these children to seek a better life and aspire to greater careers. We achieve this mission through a summer camp followed by a social project. Both teach the participating children to fight for their rights of inclusion and aspire to give rather than solely receive. Of the 285 million visually impaired in the world, an estimated 19 million are children. Only 2% of the visually impaired are educated. [1] In fact, less than 10% of disabled youth worldwide receive an education. [2] Initiatives to aid the disabled in Lebanon are destined to be short-lived and unsustainable as they are founded with a mindset that considers the disabled to be disadvantaged and removed from society. ETI works to help communities realize that everyone is both disabled and abled by simultaneously erasing preexisting prejudices and instilling confidence in the disabled.




[1] World Health Organization. World Health Organization. Rep. no. 282. United Nations, June 2012. Web. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ 7 May 2014.
[2] "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Some Facts about Persons with Disabilities." UN News Center. United Nations, 2006. Web. 07 May 2014. http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/facts.shtml.

ETI strives to achieve its mission of empowering blind youth through the following programs in Nicaragua and Lebanon: Camp Rafiqi is built around blind and sighted kids. The purpose is to live childhood and have fun; however, in order for us to do this, we have pre-programs in the form of the life skills training and parent workshops. Camp Rafiqi?s pre-program session provides classes in mobility, computer, and life-skills training. These life skill trainings are integral to preparing the youth for the integrated recreational camp.
During the following session, blind and sighted children are integrated in a recreational camp. By learning together, they will understand that blind children are normal children with the same dreams and amusements. This program is essential in revolutionizing the mindset of both communities.
The final part of the program, a social project, strives to instill confidence in the disabled youth, demonstrating that they are not always on the receiving end. It teaches sighted youth that the blind can make valuable contributions to a group. Youth are sorted into teams, assigned mentors, and asked to solve problem within their community. They will meet with mentors monthly to work on the project, which will be presented before judges. Each team will receive a prize, from certificates to seed money.
Camp Rafiqi is designed with the purpose of opening the door for youth to experience life and pursue their dreams with purpose and richness. We are invested in instilling confidence and teaching students how to build and follow their dreams, despite the many obstacles that they will face. In fact, we emphasize that the struggle itself is a very valuable experience. By utilizing a unique and individualized model, we are positioning ourselves for greater adaptability when confronting problems of integration within our target society and in future programs in other regions of the world.
ETI's programs are carried out in Nicaragua and Lebanon. ETI's programming, such as the camps, social projects, and parent seminars, on the ground takes place internationally in Nicaragua and Lebanon. On a nation scale in terms of the United States, our operations consist of fundraising, curriculum development, and various events to raise awareness about ETI and disability rights. No. - Sara Minkara (Lebanese American)
President and Founder
Sarah Chang (Korean American)
Chairman of The Board
Jackie Tran (Chinese American)
Secretary
Ramzi Farchoukh (Lebanese American)
Board Member
ETIByLaws.doc