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Amway India partners with Turnstone Global sets up Braille & Audio Digital library
TIWN June 13, 2017
Amway India partners with Turnstone Global sets up Braille & Audio Digital library
PHOTO : Agartala, June 13 (TIWN): Amway India has partnered with Turnstone Global, formerly known as National Association for the Blind and set up a Braille library for the visually impaired students at the Knowledge Centre for the Disabled in Agartala today. Thi

Agartala, June 13 (TIWN): Amway India has partnered with Turnstone Global, formerly known as National Association for the Blind and set up a Braille library for the visually impaired students at the Knowledge Centre for the Disabled in Agartala today. This Braille library in Agartala is one of the five such libraries being set up by Amway India in partnership with Turnstone Global across the Eastern and Northeastern regions. The other four cities are Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri and Aizawl. The Amway- Turnstone Global Braille library has been set up in Agartala at the premise of The Knowledge Centre For the Disabled at Narsinghgarh, near IVH more, Agartala, Tripura, Pin -799001.Turnstone Global, has set up this Knowledge Centre for the disabled at the land donated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tripura to them.

Amway India has been setting up 31 Braille Libraries in India under National project for the Blind. In East, Amway India has set up 9 such Braille libraries including Kolkata, Siliguri, Bhubaneswar, Agartala and Aizawl, Guwahati, Shillong, Patna and Ranchi.

Mrs. Bijita Nath, Minister-In-Charge, Social Welfare, Social Education, Welfare of OBC and Science, Technology and Environment, Tripura  graced the occasion as the chief guest and inaugurated the Amway- Turnstone  Global Braille Library at the Knowledge Centre For  The Disabled in presence of and Dr. Kanchan Gaba, Secretary,  Turnstone Global.

Bickramjit Paul, Cluster Operations Manager, North- East, Amway India and Sarbani Bhattacharya, Regional Corporate Communications Manager, East, Amway India

The library will offer Braille versions of a variety of books & journals and CDs ranging from academic books, fiction, self-help, general knowledge for the benefit of more than 150 visually impaired students who otherwise have limited access to books.  The Library is also equipped with computers that will enable students to access more than 30 CDs.

Commenting on the occasion Mrs. Bijita Nath, Minister-In-Charge, Social Welfare, Social Education, Minister for Social Welfare & Social Education, Welfare of OBC and Science, Technology and Environment, Tripura  appreciated the efforts of Amway and Turnstone Global in enabling visually impaired student's education through Braille audio library.                                   ."

Elaborating on the initiative, G.S. Cheema, Sr. Vice President - North & East, Amway India, said, “We have been working tirelessly towards the welfare of the visually impaired with a firm belief that education and knowledge is the key to the future that create opportunities transcending physical limitations. A Braille library is a key component of that strategy.  We are in the process of launching 31 braille libraries across the country. We are delighted to have partnered with Turnstone Global who is helping us set up these Braille libraries in Eastern and Northeastern Region. We believe that the Braille Library at the premise of The Knowledge Centre For The Disbled set up by Turnstone Global, will enable the children pursue their higher education. ”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kanchan Gaba, Secretary,Turnstone Global, said "We are happy to set up five braille library with Amway India in East. Such types of Libraries in different blind schools and organization working with the blind are very fruitful to impart education for the blind. Through the braille libraries a blind person can quest for his knowledge and discover his potentialities through reading braille books. I personally and from the Turnstone Global thank Amway India for giving such wonderful opportunity to set up the library at our premise in Agartala. We are committed for the welfare of the blind and we shall be available for any further support".

Amway under the National Project for the Visually Impaired, has taken various initiatives to support the cause of visually impaired including:-

Amway has supported more than 85,000 visually impaired children with Braille textbooks across 12 States.

Amway has been providing computer training to the visually impaired since 2008, and has set up 15 computer centers across the country.  A total of 1000 visually impaired individuals are getting benefited at the Amway supported computer centers.

Amway has also set-up 2 audio libraries in Indore and Madurai; launched a travel and tourism course in Kolkata; set-up a BPO in Madurai, set-up a Braille Library in Bangalore; set-up music academies for the visually impaired in Chandigarh, Raipur and Guwahati. 

Amway has supported the program digitizing class XIIth educational material for National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), as well as select graduation and post-graduation educational material for Delhi University, Mumbai University and Hyderabad/EFLU University, which is helping different abled especially visually impaired students across the country.

Amway’s commitment to educate the visually-impaired, led Amway to launch an Android-based application ‘Accessible Reader’, which leverages available text-to-speech engines and makes it convenient for the visually impaired to read digital documents.

About Turnstone Global:   Turnstone Global is a non-profit National level developmental organization, working in 11 States since 1990. Our main programmes include:

 

  1. Non formal education for children
  2. Blind welfare
  3. Elder care
  4. Preventable Blindness
  5. Health for all
  6. Sanitation
  7. Slum improvement
  8. Skill development and livelihood training
  9. Income generation & microfinance

 

With our more than 250 employees, 8000 beneficiaries are always in our role in any point of time. Turnstone Global registered with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Social Justice.

Library service for the physically challenged at Tripura : Turnstopne Global has successfully established physically challenged corner at

 

  • Birchandra State Central Library – Agartala
  • Nazrul Granthagar at North District Public Library – Tripura
  • Unakuti District Public Library
  • Dharamnagar District Library and
  • Khowai District Library
  • Setup like these require disable friendly sitting arrangements and furniture accompanied by disable friendly environment.
  • CD Players and Computers loaded with JAWS are provided to give access to Digital Audio Books.
  • Project supported by Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation (RRRLF).
  • Knowledge Centre for the Disabled – Agartala, Tripura
    • In appreciation of our work, the Honouurable C.M of Tripura Sri Manik Sarkar has donated 4 bighas of land at Narsingara, Agartala to set up a multi-disciplinary unit for the disabled.
    • Work is on progress. Likely to be commissioned by 2019

Amway India’s CSR initiatives

Amway India’s CSR initiatives are based on the belief that social responsibility is much more than the incurrence of a cost or a resource on a charitable/ philanthropic act of social benefit. It is an opportunity to bring in social innovation and change. This belief is articulated in Amway’s vision of helping people live better lives. When it comes to commitment to corporate citizenship, Amway India makes a serious and concentrated effort to reach out and help people improve their lives. 

Amway India supports a comprehensive CSR programme covering a gamut of initiatives including a water conservation project to improve the ground water level in 7 villages in the Dindigul district located around the manufacturing plant.  Amway India launched a village health program targeted at 26 villages in the Dindigul district, to provide quality healthcare to the underprivileged.  A total of 144 health check-up camps (12 camps in a month) are being conducted within a span of 12 months.   The treatment includes general health check-up, select pathological tests and medicines at zero cost to the beneficiaries.

As a key focus area, Amway India has taken various initiatives to support the cause of visually impaired.   Amway India also supports underprivileged children in education, health and hygiene under a project titled ‘Sunrise’. Under this project, Amway India currently supports more than 15 NGOs across the country.

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