International blind-walk marks world sight day to encourage eye donation
Udupi: To mark the world sight day, the Health commission Perampalli and The Project Vision jointly organised a unique event on October 13 to spread the message of eye donation.
The movement to raise awareness about blindness and encourage eye donations was founded by Fr George Kannanthanam in Bengaluru in 2013.
The blind walk was flagged off near the Traffic Police Station. The walk was led by Calistus D’sa principal Residential blind school Mangaluru.
The main objective of the walk is making people with sight to be blindfold and walk the distance of a kilometre, led by a completely blind person. This experience leads the person with sight to a pledge to donate their eyes after death.
The walk passed through Diana circle, PPC road, KM Marg and culminated at the Mother of Sorrows Church ground.
The participants in the walk including students walked blindfolded and later took a pledge to donate eyes and help the cause of the visually challenged persons.
Fr Denis D’Sa director Health commission Udupi diocese, Fr Lawrence D’Souza Secretary, CESU Udupi Diocese, Dr Krishna Prasad Eye Specialist, Sr Lenita D’Souza, Fr Romeo Lewis parish priest Fathima Church Perampalli, Sr Leen D’Souza, Kumaraswamy DySP Udupi and others were present.
About World Sight Day
The largest eye donation campaign in the world was conducted today in connection with the World Sight Day on October 13 through a very innovative program called World Blind Walk organised in 55 locations across five countries by a Bangalore-based non-government initiative called Project Vision.
The Walk was conducted in US, China, Srilanka and Nepal apart from all major cities in India. About 5000 visually challenged people led 25,000 people in a blindfolded Walk that ended with a pledge to donate eyes and help the cause of the visually challenged people across the World.
Implementing the theme of this year World Sight Day by International Association for the Prevention of Blindness, Stronger Together, and World Blind Walk brought together over 500 organisations across the globe from social, developmental, medical, academic and religious backgrounds on a single platform to push for a global movement on eye donations.
