Story

“Few years back, I received a call from New Delhi railway station saying that a blind girl has been thrown out on railway track by his father. Our volunteers were able to rescue that girl and bring her to the Blind Welfare Society home for girls. We cared for her and educated her. Today that girl is a senior government official”, says Dheeraj Bhola, Founder , Blind Welfare Society (BWS) as he  recalls how his organisation has been able to transform lives of visually impaired girls. The life of a blind girl child in many pockets of India is full of challenges. Families feel burdened and often abandon or neglect them. 

Neglect, abandonment and stigma

In various parts of the country, a blind girl is often seen as a curse and a burden for no fault of theirs. “Many parents neglect their blind daughters and at times even sell them off for begging, etc. Even if the girl is from a well-to-do family, they feel providing education and care to a blind girl is a waste of money”. “What is the fault of an innocent child?”, Dheeraj asks.

Education, the only hope

“I would hear the footsteps of children from my village chirping and running to school every morning. I felt disheartened that I could not join them anymore. By then I had lost my eyesight completely due to a genetic condition. But even though I had lost my vision I never lost my dreams,” says Preeti Patwal. Her siblings are also visually impaired. But Preeti had dreams, and she couldn’t burden her family any more. “It was my fight to do something with the life I had been given that brought me to Blind Welfare Society (BWS) after school,” she says. A resident of BWS in Delhi for the last 1 year, Preeti is pursuing her graduation from Delhi University. BWS has not only provided shelter and financial support but also counselling and guidance for her bright future.

The man behind BWS

Dheeraj Bhola, a government teacher by profession, is visually impaired and understands the pain of losing one’s eye sight and the all kinds of discrimination that one has to face. “I knew of a few girls who had been abandoned by their families and some sold on account of being a blind girl. I saw the pain of these girls since they had nowhere to go. I could feel the burden of their crushed dreams. I started BWS to provide free shelter, food and educational support to visually impaired girls,” says Dheeraj. He says that visually impaired girls are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, and they need to be provided a safe home and family-like environment. “I had resolved to never let a visually impaired girl student feel like she was in an orphanage or a hostel but I wanted them to feel like they are living in their own house among family members”, he further adds.

Save them from being homeless

We have only one objective - that none of our visually impaired friends should go hungry, cry from hunger, or sleep on an empty stomach. It is my humble request to you to come forward for these girls and help us in whatever capacity you can, so that they can continue their education, pursue fruitful careers and fulfil their dreams, when they step out into the world.” – Dheeraj. BWS, has been a saviour for 40 visually impaired girls many of whom have been abandoned by their families and have nowhere to go. We are facing a serious financial crunch, and without your support, the NGO could be on the verge of closing and making its residents homeless. You can be the light in the lives of these 40 blind girls who have not seen anything except darkness. Help support their education and be a catalyst for change in their lives. Donate now

Note: Donations made to Blind Welfare Society are Exempted under section 80G of Indian Income Tax Act, 1961.