Sunday 21st May 2023 was a fulfilling day for Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind (ANWAB) and 99 other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from 56 other countries as they received special awards in Beijing, China for their contributions to providing succour for persons with disabilities around the world.
The awards were presented to ANWAB and other NGOs and individuals during the final event to mark the Centennial Celebration of Rehabilitation International, which was tagged, RI Centennial Award for Significant Contributions.
Each awardee received a cash prize, a medal and a certificate.
According to the Jury, the award is to commend individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions to or had a profound impact on the equal participation and inclusive development of persons with disabilities. The recipients were those who have done not less than five years of recognized work in disability-related fields and organizations are those legally registered and have high credibility.
One hundred awardees were selected from 57 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, South and North America, including 14 African countries. ANWAB is the only Nigerian recipient of the prize, which marks 100 years of the existence of New York-based Rehabilitation International.
The announcement of the award to ANWAB came as a pleasant surprise in a regular email on Friday 5th May 2023. The mail read: “Dear Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind, Greetings from Rehabilitation International!
“We are pleased to inform you that upon the decision by the Jury Committee of RI Centennial Award for Significant Contributions, you will be receiving receiving RI Centennial Award for Significant Contributions together with another 99 winners. You are thus cordially invited to attend the Awarding Ceremony at your own expense on May 21 in Beijing during the Rehabilitation International Centennial Celebration Events. …….. We would like to extend the most sincere congratulations and look forward to your continuous contributions to persons with disabilities around the world. Your earliest response upon receipt will be highly appreciated.
“With best regards, RI Award Secretariat”.
ANWAB, is a non-profit, non-governmental charitable organisation whose main aim is to create an enabling environment that foster independence of blind people through education and welfare. Attention is paid to the interests of all blind people, particularly women. ANWAB Centre for the Blind is located at 275 Herbert Macaulay Way, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos.
The organisation said that through the transcription of textbooks into braille, ANWAB has enabled many more blind students to go to school and also become gainfully employed.
Other services provided for the blind by the centre included computer training; internet café service using a screen reader; full-service braille library service; braille, mobility and typing lessons; and guidance and counseling to the blind, their parents, government and the general public.
ANWAB was founded in 1994 in order to help alleviate the many obstacles facing blind persons in Nigeria. It was first registered as a charity in the United Kingdom in December 1994 and with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria a couple of years later. Its primary objective is the provision of reading materials in Braille or audiotape, and training in Independent Living for blind persons.
By the award to ANWAB and others, RI says it aims to facilitate the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and promote rights protection and inclusive development of persons with disabilities around the globe.
