Over 200 people came together in the city on Thursday, on the occasion of World Sight Day, to participate in a campaign called ‘BlindWalk’, with the aim of making people empathise with the visually challenged. The campaign saw people being blindfolded before letting a group of the visually challenged lead them.
The programme was held in about 200 centres across India and the globe, including countries such as the US, China, Sri Lanka and Nepal to express solidarity with the visually challenged, making it the largest eye donation campaign in the world.
Reminder on privileges
In Delhi, the event commenced in Palika Bazar, Gate no. 2 and moved towards Connaught Place, where hundreds took a round of the inner circle blindfolded.
A participant shared her experience after the walk, “I know the visually challenged lead a very difficult life, but now I not just know it but I have felt it. I think it’s a very important reminder to keep our privileges in check.”
Holding banners that read, “Light up a life, donate your eyes” and “Let Everyone See”, the main objective of this campaign was to encourage people to donate their eyes.
Creating vision ambassadors and easy systems for eye donation was also one of the objectives of the campaign as people interested in donating eyes are not able to follow through due to various reasons.
Eye donation
BlindWalk is the brain child of Project Vision, an organisation based in Bangalore along with a multitude of other social, educational, religious, health, corporate and cultural organisations.
“The blind can be supported either by donation of eyes or by supporting them to live a full life where they create a vocation for themselves and experience dignity and independence. The objective of this campaign is to support the blind in both aspects and to work towards preventive eye care,” said Jayati Gandhi, a member of Project Vision.
