Venezuela ? A program called “Miracle Mission” continued Wednesday with a group of 165 Chileans arriving in Venezuela for free eye surgery courtesy of the government of President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez, who has been funding humanitarian projects across the continent, started the program in 2004 as part of an agreement with Cuba, which volunteered the eye surgeons. It has expanded to 12 countries, including Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Pro-Chavez lawmaker Luis Jonas Reyes Flores welcomed the group, saying, “We want to improve your quality of life so that you can clearly see the world’s beauty.”