White Cane Day celebrated in Shillong

Amway India & Bethany Society conduct awareness workshop

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Amway India, the country’s largest FMCG Direct Selling company celebrated International White Cane Day with 10 NGO partners for the 18th consecutive year by organizing myriad initiatives.

In Shillong, Amway organized awareness workshops on the significance of White Cane day with Bethany Society. The workshop included a host of initiatives with an aim to educate normal sighted citizens about the importance of white cane as a mobility tool for the visually impaired and the predicament faced by visually impaired persons while negotiating the road, stated a release.

The theme of the day was ‘Safety, Security, and Dignity’ of Persons with disability and particularly of persons with visual impairment. The program thus comprised of road shows at three different locations in Shillong featuring musical skits to inform, involve, and inspire the public to act towards ensuring the same. The program started at Don Bosco Square, Laitumkhrah and ended at Police Bazaar. Flyers informing all concerned about the salient aspects of disability awareness were distributed at all the three locations. Besides, an all-inclusive neighborhood-by-neighborhood commitment to honor this mandate was made through a signature campaign. Amway employees and direct sellers also participated in the program being blindfolded.

Commenting on the occasion Chandra Chakraborty, vice president, Eastern Region, “Amway has been supporting and promoting the welfare of the visually impaired individuals since 1999. Our experience of close to two decades of working with the visually impaired has made us realize that an individual’s ability is always stronger than his disability and physical limitations can be overcome with the right education, knowledge, and guidance. We have been providing avenues for the education and empowerment of the visually impaired to help them discover their abilities by organizing such interesting activities. For us, the International White Cane Day holds great significance and multiple initiatives are being organized across the country to celebrate the progress and achievements of the visually impaired. We are delighted that we could contribute to their growth and shall continue to provide much-needed support in the future.”

Carmo Noronha, Executive Director, Bethany Society, said, “International White Cane Day is observed to celebrate the independence of visually impaired individuals. It is heartening to see that the visually impaired are getting the opportunities of actively participating in mainstream activities. Amway has been one of the prominent companies in the country who has played a pivotal role to serve the community. We are thankful to Amway India for coming forward to support the cause. These efforts will surely help us go a long way.”

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