INDIACSR News Network
NEW DELHI: With an aim to provide a better life to the visually challenged, Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Amway India, celebrated the ‘International White Cane Day’ in association with Bhartiya Netraheen Kalyan Parishad (BNKP) in New Delhi. The event commenced with a walkathon from Jantar Mantar to the Constitution Club by more than 100 visually challenged students of BNKP under the guidance of nearly 50 Amway officials, with a view to generate public empathy, awareness and also to promote importance of the White Canes for visually challenged.
More than 150 white canes were gifted to the students of Bhartiya Netraheen Kalyan Parishad by AOF. Students from BNKP recited Saraswati Vandana and sang a song on White Cane which made the event a memorable one.
The event saw presence of a large number of dignitaries including Dr. Yoganand Shastri, Hon’ble Speaker, Delhi Vidhan Sabha, who inaugurated the event and spoke of the importance of support being provided to the visually challenged. The event was presided over by Mr. Anil Bhardwaj, Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister, Govt. of NCT Delhi, Mr. Inderjeet Shoukeen, President – North West District, All India Congress Committee, Mr. Pawan Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, BNKP, and Mr. Ramesh Prasad Singh, General Secretary, BNKP.
Mr. Rajneesh Chopra, Executive Management Committee, Amway Opportunity Foundation added, “We at Amway are extremely proud to be associated with the Bhartiya Netraheen Kalyan Parishad efforts in observing the International White Cane day. Our objective has always been to draw attention of the society at large on the challenges and needs of the visually challenged especially in their everyday life such as the use of city roads. At the same time, as responsible citizens of the society it is imperative that we are more empathetic and sensitive as vehicle users to accommodate & provide space to the White Canes.”
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Ramesh Prasad Singh, General Secretary, BNKP said, “It is very important to spread awareness amongst the general public in order to help the visually challenged. We are thankful to Amway Opportunity Foundation for presenting white canes to these visually challenged children. These efforts will surely help and we hope to get more response from the public to support this noble cause.”
Bhartiya Netraheen Kalyan Parishad
Bhartiya Netraheen Kalyan Parishad is a registered NGO. Right from its inception, it has been working for the holistic and all round development of the persons with special needs especially visually impaired. Their main goal is to make each and every person with special needs self-reliant and instilling in him/ her a feeling of self-dignity and pride so that all of them can be capable of associating themselves with national mainstream and they can contribute to the development of the nation. Every year, the NGO distributes about 200 sticks and 200 blank cassettes amongst the visually impaired students during the celebration of World Disabled Day, International White Cane Day and Louis Braille birth anniversary.
Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF)
AOF is a registered non-profit organization which looks after Amway India’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and has been actively associated with several projects dedicated towards child welfare across the country. One of the biggest challenges in education of visually impaired children is to make books available in Braille, text or audio described format so that students can read themselves. Under the National Project for the Blind, AOF with its partners AICB and NAB has ensured making available Braille textbooks to over 85,000 school-going visually challenged children in 15 states. The foundation has instituted 16 computer centers for excellence across India to help visually challenged students for education using Information technology.
