'Duty to provide disabled all rights'

Maharagama special correspondent

Vision impaired people need no mercy of others. They do not beg others for their existence. They demand for their human rights inherited by their birth. It is the paramount duty of the abled to provide the disabled with all the rights enjoyed by them.

The Chairman of Sri Lanka Council for the Blind Amaradasa Gunawardena made these observations speaking at a ceremony held at the CCF-Sri Lanka head office, Colombo 5 recently. The ceremony was organised by the CCF-Sri Lanka to celebrate the occasion of signing a MoU with the Sri Lanka Council for the Blind to provide education equipment to 13 blind schools in Sri Lanka.

Speaking further Gunawardena said:

The Sri Lanka Council for the Blind is the only service providing organisation that provides the needs of the vision impaired people without any difference. Our organisation gets only Rs. 50,000 a year as a grant. But we have provided education equipment for blind schools, distributed funds for tsunami affected blind people to rehabilitate them which amounts to more than Rs. 3 million.

This is the first occasion in Sri Lanka that an international non Governmental organisation entered into an agreement to provide aid to blind schools islandwide to empower the vision impaired people. The MoU signed today amounts to Rs. 7.5 million.

There are 13 Blind Schools in Sri Lanka which are overlooked by the Government also. The Government pays only the salary of the staffs in the Blind Schools. By entering into an agreement to help these schools CCF-Sri Lanka has done a great service to empower the vision impaired people.

The computer instructor of the Blind Council Samson Perera (visionary impaired) presented a computer display and a demonstration.

The MoU was signed by the National Director of CCF-Sri Lanka Gamini Pinnalawatte and the Chairman of Sri Lanka Council for the Blind Amaradasa Gunawardane.

A MoU was signed between CCF-Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Council for the Blind recently to provide education assistance to 13 Blind Schools in Sri Lanka. According to the MoU the CCF-Sri Lanka will provide funds worth to Rs. 75 million in the year 2006.

After signing the MoU the National Director of CCF-Sri Lanka Gaminie Pinnalawatte hands over the first instalment (Rs. 15 million) cheque to the Secretary and the Executive Director of the Blind Council S. L. Hettiarachchi. The Programme Director Marc Nosbach was also present. (Maharagama special correspondent)