National Project for the Visually Challenged

Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) is a registered non-profit organization that looks after Amway India’s Corporate Social Responsibility. Amway staff and distributors are volunteers and participate in AOF activities.

Under the National Project for the Visually Challenged, AOF has:

• Ensured that around 85,000 visually challenged school-going children have had access to Braille textbooks. Between 1999-2005 this project has covered Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. This work - done twice each in three states – was carried out in partnership with the All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) and the National Association for the Blind (India) NAB.
  
• Celebrated the International White Cane Day for nine years running, with our NGO partners, at over 35 locations across the country each year.
  
• Celebrated Louis Braille Day for five years again with our NGO partners.
  
• Donated audio-textbooks for Bangalore University and extended support to the Karnataka Welfare Association for the Blind (KWAB) in conducting a cultural event in Bangalore.
  
• Presented a 20-volume Webster’s Dictionary in Braille to the Delhi Blind School and Braillon machine to the Indian Blind School at Madurai.
  
• Supported Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (Delhi) in conducting communications workshops, as well as a car rally at Surat for the visually challenged.
  
• Distributed 1000 Braille kits in Kerala and enabled a state-level chess tournament for the for the visually challenged in Tamil Nadu.
  
• Organized eye camps at Surat, Erode, Balasore, Delhi and Siliguri – over 5000 persons from economically challenged sections of society have taken part in these camps. At Delhi, these camps have been held for three years running, along with Mahavir International, an NGO that runs a hospital for the visually challenged.

All this work has been carried out by the active partnership with the 550,000 Amway distributors in India, who have helped raise a significant part of the funds for this work.
While Amway has received a citation from the World Blind Union in Dec 03, Amway does not accept any awards for the work we do.

Amway India is working to make a difference, one by one.

Computer Centres and Vocational Training for the visually challenged….

Having created a vast body of work for visually challenged children, Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) has now taken this effort to a newer level – by helping set up fully functional computer centres at schools for the visually challenged. This includes complete hardware and software (Jaws), internet, UPS, electrical wiring and air-conditioning of the room, as well as recurring costs such as computer instructor, electricity etc.

• Poona School and Home for Blind Trust, Pune – 200 students here can potentially learn IT skills at the AOF-PSHBT Centre for Excellence at Koregaon, which has 10 computers, open book, screen magnifier, scanners etc.


• Rama Krishna Mission Blind Boy’s Academy, Narendrapur, West Bengal - Eastern India’s first cyber café for the visually challenged - The RKMBBA-AOF Computer Training Centre was set up at RKMBBA. Besides the 300-plus students from Narendrapur, those from Jadavpur University, Kolkata University have trained at this Centre. This centre has ten Computers.
  
• Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh, Jaipur – around 100 students use the eight computers the AOF-RNKS Computer Centre at Gangori Bazaar.
  
• National Association for the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram – around 150 students have access to six computers at the AOF-NAB Computer Centre at Plamood, which includes special features such as Spellwell, Magic Magnification, Open book, talking-typing teacher pro, quality quiz pro etc.
  
• National Association for the Blind, Kolkata – around 180 students have access to the AOF-NAB Centre for Excellence at Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, which has ten computers, safa software, Braille book converter, scanners, printer etc.
  
• Devnaar Foundation for the Blind, Hyderbad – the 700 students of Devnaar Foundation school potentially can make use of the AOF-DFFB Centre for Excellence at Begumpet, which has 10 computers, magic pro, Open book, scanners etc.
  
• Andh Kanya Prakash Gruha, Ahmedabad – the 450 students of this school can potentially learn IT skills at the AOF-AKPG Centre for Excellence at Memnagar, which has 10 computers, open book, screen magnifier, scanners etc.
  
• National Association for the Blind, Chandigarh – 120 students of this institution can use the six computers at the AOF-NAB Centre for Excellence at Asha Kiran, Sec 46 D.

AOF has also helped AICB (Delhi) set up a vocational training centre at Rohini, where intensive training is imparted to post-graduate students over a 12-month period. Here, students train on computer and internet usage, English language & Personality Development, Technical writing, as well as the skill of operating a computer system while on the phone with customers.

Amway India is working to make a difference, one by one.