an online magazine from eyeway.org
an online magazine from eyeway.org
issue 11
july-august 2006
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sections in this issue: by george | focus | feature | perspectives | profile | headlines
Headlines : India News
other headlines sub-sections: world
news
A vision for blind girls
Rohit Bhan, ndtv.com; Surendranagar, Gujarat
"When I was small
and studied in a blind school I came across a number of girls who couldn't pursue
their dreams due to poverty. I decided that very time that I will do something
for such blind girls,” says Muktaben Dagli.
The result is ‘Pragna Chakshu Mahila Sevakunj’, an organisation run by Ms. Dagli and her husband Pankajbhai, both of whom are visually impaired.
‘Pragna Chakshu Mahila Sevakunj’ started 10 years ago in a tiny room as a project to help visually impaired girls become self-sufficient. Today, it takes care of 125 girls in nine tenements in Surendranagar, Saurashtra.
The Dagli couple help girls learn a variety of skills from computers to electrical repair work. Some courses are recognised by the Indian Technical Institute, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
"When I came here three years ago, I was really feeling helpless but today I feel more confident," says Akanksha, a second-year student of commerce who is also learning computer skills.
Besides educational and professional training, the centre also teaches girls to cope with housework and finds suitable matches for them. So far the Daglis have got 40 girls married.
Impressed by the Daglis' spirit, donors from Mumbai funded a hostel on the outskirts of Surendranagar. The new hostel will mean better living conditions and a better future for more blind girls.
Other India News stories in this issue:
Satellite
technology helps blind students in Gujarat prepare for board examinations
Reservation
for differently abled in Goa
Mumbai
school teaches judo to blind students