Seva Bharathi’s 'Manonethra' imparts a new vision

A camp organized by Manonethra

The disabled in India comprise only 1.5 percent of the total beneficiaries of various poverty alleviation and welfare schemes. Statistics tell the tale of neglect, of how the benefits of many government schemes don’t percolate to the people with disabilities. Also, India is now the home for world's largest number of blind people. Of the 37 million people across the globe who are blind, over 15 million are from India. Understanding the gravity of the problem, Seva Bharathi initiated Manonethra project that aims at giving a helping hand to empower the handicapped and bring the sunrise of knowledge in the life of visually disabled. RSS senior karyakarta Sri Suryanarayanaraoji laid the foundation for the project in the year 2001.

Under Manonethra project, a full-fledged audio library is provided for visually handicapped. In twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad, there are eleven government hostels for blind students. Out of these 11 hostels, Manonethra is active in four hostels and plans to extend the services to the remaining. Medical facilities are also being provided at the hostels and at the office of Seva Bharathi in general. About 250 blind students have been benefited by the services. There is also a hostel for physically handicapped in Warangal run by the government and in Nalgonda, Seva Bharathi co-ordinates a school for visually handicapped run by a visually handicapped person itself.

Counselling sessions have yielded beautiful results in the hostels for orthopoedically handicapped in Nizamabad. Sessions comprise of reciting shlokas along with the basic awareness in health and personality development.

The work done so far:

About 290 audio books have been distributed among 100 children and 50 children are being provided with writer for their examination. Children of classes from 10th to degree and competitive exams are also assisted with all support.

How you can help:

1. Be a volunteer

2. Be a volunteer to record cassettes for the blind

3. Donate your eyes at the nearest eye bank

4. Just spread the message of the good work

The shortage of donated eyes is becoming a huge problem. Of the 15 million blind people in India, three million, 26% of whom are children, suffer due to corneal disorders. But only 10,000 corneal transplants are being done every year due to the shortage of donated eyes. Hence eye donation can certainly overcome the problem.

Seva Bharathi has an affiliated organisation Akhil Bharatiya Drishtiheen Kalyan Sangh that is working closely with Bharath Vikas Parishad to distribute artificial limbs. Also, the organization has a well equipped sound library, writing club and the volunteers to record lessons for the blind.

Contact:

Sevabharathi, Western AP

3-2-106, Nimboliadda,

Hyderabad-500027

Phone no: 91-040-4610056

E-mail: sevabharati@yahoo.com

How to reach:

By air: Hyderabad International Airport, Rajiv Gandhi International Terminal, is well connected to many important cities abroad. All private air travel providers operate services from Hyderabad.

By train: Secunderabad, one of the twin cities with Hyderabad, is a major station with the head quarters of Southern Railway. Nampally railway station is well connected to all major railway stations in India.

By bus: Andhra Pradesh state owned buses connect Hyderabad city with all cities in the state and the neighbouring states. Hyderabad is a hub of deluxe, super deluxe, A/C and Volvo tourist buses. Hyderabad is connected by these superb buses to many cities, including Bangalore, Chennai, Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada.