Visually impaired students of HVP Gatagara School have received educational materials and sporting equipment from MTN Rwanda.

The donation was made during a visit by MTN staff to the school during the company’s annual "21 Days of Y’ello Care” which includes outreach activities by the staff of the country’s telecom giants.

On behalf of the company, Mary Ashimwe said, "We brought Braille papers to encourage the blind children and to show them that they are not alone. We also gave the school a big water tank, because we know that water is important for hygiene.”

HVP Gatagara School for the Blind in Rwamagana started in 1998 and has both primary and a secondary section.

Jean Pierre Nteziryayo, the director of the school, said MTN’s support was timely, adding that the Braille papers were very much needed by the 212 students.

"The papers we use are very expensive and have a guarantee of only one year.our school population has been growing,” he said. 

Visual impairment, one critical component of disability, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has affected about 285 million people in the world.