Visually impaired call for more gov’t support

Visually impaired people under their umbrella organization, the Rwanda Union for the Blind (RUB), have called on the government to provide them with more education facilities in order to improve their lives. Speaking during conference organised by the Indian based group, Rwanda Renaissance, and Kigali City Council, the Executive Secretary of RUB, Donatilla Kanimba, said that the visually impaired lack education because there aren’t enough schools to cater for their needs. “There are few schools that can accept visually impaired people, and this leads them to live in isolation and deep poverty because they lack education,” said Kanimba. “There’s need to train visually impaired people or provide them with necessary support so that they live a productive life,” she added. Kanimba said that there is only one training centre situated in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District and that trains visually impaired people in farming, adding that there is need to expand its capacity by adding other courses. The meeting that attracted various institutions and NGOs discussed the prospectus of setting up a “white cane” workshop in Rwanda. Addressing the conference, the chairman of Rwanda Renaissance, Clarence Fernandes, said that in collaboration with the National Association for the Blind of India, they are planning to set up the workshop in Rwanda which will employ visually impaired people and pass on skills. A white cane is a mobility and safety tool needed by the vulnerable group of people as it reflects light in the dark thus making it safer for the user. “If we start this project, the visually impaired people will be able to learn more skills and Rwanda will be able to export white canes to other countries in the region,” said Fernandes. According to RUB, one white cane costs Rwf 20,000. According to a 2002 population census, there are over 13,000 visually impaired people across the country. Ends