Editor,

I read with keen interest your article regarding the white canes that the KCC is giving blind people in today’s edition of The New Times.

It is a pleasure to inform you that at our forthcoming Conference "Vision Beyond Sight 2009 " which will be held on 26 November, 2009 at Hotel Des Mille Collines, our key-note speaker, Mr.K. Ramkrishna, the Hon. Secretary General, National Association for the Blind, India, will make a symbolic presentation of just a few white canes to Dr. Aisa Kirabo, Mayor of Kigali.

However, at the Conference, we shall discuss the requirement of white canes in the city of Kigali and shall then arrange to dispatch this consignment of white canes from Mumbai to Kigali in the shortest possible time.

After the various presentations and speeches, we shall be having an "Open Forum "during which we shall discuss the various needs and requirements of the visually impaired of Rwanda.

Rwanda Renaissance and the National Association for the Blind, India, (NAB) will then explore avenues of assisting the country in whatever way possible. This will include assisting Rwanda with the required technical know-how to set up a manufacturing facility for white canes which will not only make the country self-sufficient, but will also enable Rwanda to cater to the need for white canes among other countries of the East African Community.

NAB already has such a manufacturing facility in the state of Maharashtra and Rwanda Renaissance would be happy to work closely with the Ministry of Health and other concerned Government agencies to make this project a reality.

Kind regards

Clarence Fernandes
Chairman
Rwanda Renaissance
clavinmarketing@hotmail.com