By the grace of Al-Mighty Allah and valuable support of well wishers like your good self PDF has been actively engaged through out the year by providing and arranging advocacy, training, education, rehabilitation and integrated programs and achieve its targeted goals.
A part from the regular programs and services including PDF Quaid-e-Academy of skills training at Karachi for disabled persons where all the training, material and pick and drop is provided entirely free of cost to the disabled children and women. PDF continued its activities to support disabled students, widows, deserving disabled persons and their depending families by providing them scholarships r education, monthly aid, medical assistance, small loans, special equipment for the education and daily living for disabled persons like cassettes, cassette recorder, white canes, wheel chairs, hearing aids, self threading needles, embossed measuring tap including winter bedding to 1500 families and individuals through out the country.
PDF has provided support for 18 wedding ceremonies of disabled men and women and their children. As usual PDF has provided exclusive support comprising of cloths, ration and cash to more then 3,000 beneficiaries including their dependents, during the Ramazan and whole of the year.
More then 250 Braille Writing Frame along with Guide Books , 50 Arithmetic Slates, 8 Braille Holy Quran to the deserving students and trainees from whole of Pakistan and especially Holy Quran for Blind Muslim Students of India. 65 Braille and Talking Wrist Watches and 300 White Canes for blind were provided almost free of cost mostly or on subsidize rates to the deserving blind. Like wise talking calculators, and clocks, talking thermometer for the blind were also given on subsidizes rates or free of cost as per situation.
Foundation continued its production of Braille and Talking Books regularly for the needy blind. To promote and strengthen the organizations d institutions working for the disabled community , PDF has provided support in ash and kind during the year mentioned above to the following organization: Pakistan Alliance of the Blind Faisalabad, Light House School for the Blind Abbottabad, PDF Bhawalpur, Al-Noor Society for the Blind Bhawalpur, PDF Malakand, Vislwes Welfare Organization, Pakistan Eye Bank Society Dera Gha Khan, All Special Persons Welfare Association Khairpur and Organization of the Blind from Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Nowshero Feroze, Kohlo, Mansehra, Bannu, Batagram, Mardan, Sawabi, Meerpur Azad Kashmir, and Karachi. To strengthen Pakistan Foundation Fighting Blindness Islamabad was provided once again 1000 Blank audio cassettes to promote its talking book service.
The following events and visits to achieve the aims and objectives of PDF were conducted. To motivate and educate the public opinion, PDF has arranged the meaningful comprehensive national programs in Al-Faisal Markaz Faisalabad, Light House School for the Blind Abbotabad, Muhammad Ali Jinnah University Karachi, to grace the international Day of the Blind.
In collaboration with sister agencies a national seminar on “Situation of Disabled Community after the 18th Amendments” we arranged in Islamabad to review the impact in the light of the provision of UN Convention and National Policy of Pakistan for the people with disability.
Regarding advocacy, training and social integration, PDF arranged various programs including Youm-e-Vadar, Muharram-ul-Haram, Sirat-un-Nabi (SAWW), White Cane Safety Day (mainly in Faisalabad, Abbatabad and Lahore) and International Day of Disabled Persons and different competitions were held and winners were given awards and prizes.
The two national courses were simultaneously arranged by PDF in collaboration with Muhammad Bin Qasim blind welfare center Multan, on Urdu, English, Arabic Braille Transcription and Low Vision, Mobility and Abacus. An important course on Braille Transcription for University Graduates of Department of Special Education Karachi University and Computer Course for Blind Women were also arranged by Pakistan Disabled Foundation at PDF Quaid-e-Azam Academy, Karachi.
The Chairman PDF, other office Bearers and delegates of PDF attended the national and international events including participation in conference of International Union of Braille Quran Services at Turkey and Malaysia and participation of disabled Women in international home management competition in Istanbul Turkey while Chairman PDF attended the Digital Library Meeting in Washington D.C and attended the meeting at New York under Title”Seing beyond the disability”. Chairman PDF was awarded life achievement award by the Pak American Community of New York.
The Handicraft produced by the disabled children of DPF Quaid-e-Azam Academy received active attention and appreciation of the visitors during the different exhibitions and festivals taking place time to time again this year in the metropolitan of Karachi.
Thanking you,
Prof. Majida Nasir
General Secretary
