This group of differently-abled persons decided not to let their disabilities come in the way of their dreams and ventured on a daylong trek on Sunday.
Happyfeet – an initiative to help the differently-abled explore the adventures of trekking – was launched recently in the city by ecologist Geetha Nayak in coordination with Samarthanam, a trust for the differently-abled.
As many as 35 differently-abled persons in the aged between 16 and 21 went to Aandi Gundi hill near Ramanagaram with the assistance of 21 volunteers from Samarthanam. Nandini, one of the trekkers, who is visually impaired, said she was happy to be able to experience something different during the trek.
Ms. Nayak said she initiated the project as she plans to “encourage and prepare the differently-abled” to take up trekking in the mountain ranges in India. “I went on some treks in the Himalayas and later interacted with the students of Samarthanam regarding my experiences. The response was encouraging and pushed me to launch the initiative,” she said.
She attributed the trek’s success to the students’ high spirits. “One of the challenges was that the students did not have the required trekking shoes. We hope to resolve this issue during the next trek,” she added.
The Happyfeet project aims to raise funds for their next trek. Those interested, may contact the organisers by visiting www.samarthanam.org or sending an email to happyfeet.trek@gmail.com
