We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandon Delcid Rios a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
The story behind See The World Foundation begins with my own. I was born with a closed right eyelid, and for the first five years of my life I could not open it at all. When I was six, I had surgery that allowed the eyelid to open halfway, and to this day it still only opens halfway. Over time I have learned to put in extra effort to open it wider out of habit, but when I am relaxed it is very clear that my eye remains only half open. On top of that, I have struggled with poor vision in both eyes, which made even ordinary moments in school and daily life more challenging. Growing up with those conditions shaped the way I saw myself and the world around me, and it showed me how much vision challenges can affect every part of life.
As I got older, I realized how many children live with undiagnosed or untreated vision problems. It does not just affect eyesight. It affects learning, confidence, and opportunity. I wanted to do something about it, not someday, but now. That is why I started See The World Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to vision care for children who would otherwise go without.
This mission matters to me because it is personal. I know what it feels like to sit in a classroom unable to see clearly, and I know the frustration of watching your family struggle to cover the cost of care. That is also why I wrote my book What Kids Can’t See, which tells my story alongside the broader crisis of untreated vision problems in children. The book was published through See The World Foundation, and all proceeds go directly to supporting our mission of helping children receive the vision care they need.
For me, this work is not charity. It is about fairness, dignity, and giving children the chance to see a future for themselves. Every fundraiser and every partnership is part of that same mission, each one a step toward making sure no child is left behind.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As I mentioned earlier, my name is Brandon Delcid Rios, and I am the founder of See The World Foundation. I started the foundation because of my own experiences growing up with vision challenges that affected how I approached school, confidence, and daily life. Those experiences made me aware of how difficult it can be when access to care depends on money and circumstances rather than need.
See The World Foundation was created to expand access to vision care for children who would otherwise go without it. We officially launched in January 2025, and in just seven months we have raised over $2,000 to support this mission. Every month we distribute what was raised the month before, sending 60 percent to a primary recipient and dividing the remaining 40 percent equally among several secondary recipients. We direct funds to a variety of organizations, hospital programs, and initiatives at both the national and international level that provide care for children in need.
Our work is not only about fundraising. We also build awareness through monthly newsletters, a youth ambassador program, and regular fundraisers, whether that is outside of Walmart, at a local restaurant, or in direct partnership with community supporters. In addition, I published a book titled What Kids Can’t See, which shares my story and highlights the broader crisis of untreated vision problems in children. The book was published through the foundation, and all proceeds go directly to supporting our mission.
What makes this work even more meaningful to me is my background. I grew up, and still live, in a low-income household with my single mother, who immigrated from Mexico and has worked as a housekeeper. She only spoke Spanish when I was growing up, and for the most part she still does today, yet she navigated every challenge while trying to provide for me. She hustled constantly to cover the costs of my medical needs. Even with insurance, surgeries left leftover expenses, and she had to pay for my glasses, which I often broke after being bullied for wearing them, and the eye patches that were part of my treatment. She gave up clients and hours of work to take me to constant doctor appointments, all while trying to communicate in a language she did not know. Watching her struggle to give me a chance to see clearly is what drives me now to make sure other children and families do not have to face the same barriers.
What sets us apart is that this mission is not abstract. It is lived. Every fundraiser, every partnership, and every story we share is grounded in real experience. What I am most proud of is that something I started as a teenager has already begun to change lives, and I am determined to keep building it so that more children around the world can have the chance to see their future.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
During my junior year of high school, my mother lost one of her side jobs that we relied on heavily, especially during the winter months when housekeeping slowed down. That loss of income hit us hard, and I knew I had to step in. I picked up a second job on top of my existing one, even though I rarely mention it because people assume I just wanted to escape my first job. The truth is, I worked both jobs to help pay bills, save for college, and keep my household afloat, all while keeping up with schoolwork and running See The World Foundation.
There were moments when I wanted to give up on the foundation altogether. It felt impossible to juggle everything, and quitting seemed like the easier choice. But I reminded myself of why I created the foundation in the first place. Helping others who might be in the same position I was in with vision care gave me purpose and kept me moving forward. That motivation pushed me to organize my first restaurant-affiliated fundraiser, where we raised $325 in just three hours. It may sound small, but it felt like proof that persistence pays off and that little wins matter. Resilience, for me, meant pushing through exhaustion and doubt, and realizing that even when the odds are stacked against you, the impact you can create makes the struggle worth it.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that I did not need to listen to people who tried to silence or discourage me. When I first started fundraising for See The World Foundation, I heard comments like “no one wants to hear about that” or “you should stop talking about it.” I understand that you can overwhelm people if you are too pushy, but there is a big difference between over-communicating and being told that your passion is not worth sharing. For a while, I let those voices get to me, because growing up with a noticeable eye condition, I was used to shrinking myself to fit in and avoid standing out.
Over time, I realized that silencing myself was the worst thing I could do. The foundation exists because I spoke up about what mattered to me. I had to unlearn the instinct to always listen to others out of fear of judgment, and instead trust in the value of my story and the mission I was building. That shift gave me confidence not only to keep fundraising but to grow the foundation beyond what I ever imagined. Today, we are helping children access vision care through our programs, fundraisers, and partnerships, and it all goes back to believing that my voice and my work are worth sharing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seetheworldfoundation.org
- Instagram: @brandondelcidrios
- Facebook: @seetheworldfoundation
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-delcid-rios-b4769a325
- Other: Instagram for See The World Foundation: @seetheworldfoundation
