Feed a visually challenged resident by Indian Association for the Blind

This program provides three meals a day for visually challenged school children. These children belong to below poverty line. Nearly 75 visually challenged children are receiving food. We are happy to say that we have served 500+ meals. Due to summer, children were served with buttermilk, cucumber etc. to tackle the heat. With the help of GiveIndia's fund, we are running this program successfully.

IAB's primary goal is to make the underprivileged visually challenged community a self reliant community. To achieve this, we are providing education, food, accommodation and livelihood support at free of cost. Challenge we have faced and still facing are lack of awareness on importance of education and health. Due to their financial condition, they cannot to think beyond their basic needs. By repeated counselling and advice , we created awareness on importance of good health, hygiene and education. Girl children parents are hesitating to allow their children in hostel due to current society crimes too. We doing our best to providing them free food , education etc. Our plan is to provide meals to more beneficiaries and create zero hunger society.

Guna is 14 years old blind boy and he has big dreams to become a Advocate. He lives with his father, mother and a younger brother who is yet to start his education. His father works as a driver and mother is a housewife, who wants her children to study so that they can have a better life. With his father’s meagre income, his family can barely afford two meals a day. Due to unbalanced food diet, Guna often fell sick and his attendance in school was very bad. His studies got affected . Knowing about IAB school, Guna got admitted here. Now he is studying in Grade 9 . He has three nutritious meals a day and supplements too. Guna says, “The meals I am having here made it possible for boys like me to stay healthy and focus on education. I still have a chance to pursue my dream.” As he grows up healthy, educated and empowered, we see him as a lawyer and serve the society.

Approximately 45,900 meals have been served to underprivileged and visually impaired students over the last six months. Special festivals of India have been celebrated with sweets and special meals for the students of IAB. All the students of IAB have a weak family background, as they are unable to get fed regularly. But due to this project, our students get proper healthy and nutritious food on a regular basis. Every year, 100+ visually challenged people benefit from this program.

In the last 6 months, the challenge faced was the increase in the price of grocery items. Many visually impaired families are forced to live below the poverty line as a result of COVID. Their financial condition has worsened. Hence, our plan is to expand the programme by increasing our beneficiary count so that we can help the community to survive and make them free from hunger. 

Kabilan, the child of daily wagers, is a visually challenged child. His parents often worried about feeding him. However, they breathed a sigh of relief when they found that IAB was providing free food along with free education. Kabilan is now eating three nutritious meals per day and attending IAB school.

In his mother's words, "My child Kabilan's health has improved. He has become more involved in his studies, and he is progressing steadily. As a matter of fact, as a mother, I have been observing his right from birth, but now he is healthier and more active after the school started the supplementary nutrition program, "I have never seen him this happy and vibrant," she adds.

This project aims to provide nutritious & timely meals to visually challenged children. Being special children, they are facing difficulties both physically & financially. Some of the children have a partial eye sight but due to inadequate nutrition, they are losing their vision completely. Hence, we understand the pressing need of food for the underprivileged community. We are providing three times meal for children at free of cost. Currently 150 visually challenged people are benefitting through this program. They are from remote areas of Southern Tamil Nadu.

The ferocious waves of COVID throws many hurdles in each and every life. Many children had lack of food with no safe environment. Initially, it was difficult to follow the necessary protocols like establishing a safe, hygienic and secure campus, social distancing, frequent handwash, wearing masks etc. Later, we taught them about the necessity and severity of COVID. Also, we were in lack of essential items like masks, sanitizer etc. and by GIVE INDIA’s support, we were able to provide timely & nutritious meals without any delay.

Impact story from the ground: Amutha, aged 18, is a visually challenged girl by birth. Born in a lower middle class family where having a meal a day is a battle. Her parents are astrologists and she has one elder sister(Visually challenged) and a younger brother. Due to her father's single income, her parents have only one time meal, and sometimes that too is not possible. Then she came to know about Indian Association for the Blind (IAB). She and her sister got admitted here. From that day, they had been receiving good and healthy meals. During COVID, her family also got supported through free ration kit scheme.

Amutha – hungry no more is studying in 12th standard at Indian Association for the Blind School. Her father is a worker in a Daily Wagor and mother is a housewife. She has one sister who is also a visually impaired. She starts her day without eating anything. She relies solely on other for her education & the meal for wholesome, nutritious food.
After joining at Indian Association for the Blind (IAB) she received quality education along with 3 times wholesome meals & accommodation. She says that she feels better and satisfied and also has become regular in school after she had admitted here.
On behalf of INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND(IAB), We thank you for your generous donation of towards the Feed a visually challenged Project. Your contribution will go a long way in helping us serve thousands of needy children.

Impact Created:

1. Providing healthy & nutritious Meals for visually challenged children, something that is absolutely imperative for proper cognitive development in children, especially between 11-13 years of age.


2. Addressing & Promoting Visually challenged Community in India.


3. Sharing the financial responsibility of their parents by providing education, Food & Accomodation

Thank you for offering meals

Your support has helped us to feed more than 100 + visually challenged students who haven't had three meals a day. They are from socio economic background deprived of basic amenities like food, environment etc..

Nutrition rich foods like cereals, wheat, Ragi were included in their meals regularly. We are more conscious on avoiding packed snacks and healthy snacks like chikki balls, grountnut bars are prepared in our own kitchens and served to them.

Students are hale and healthy and they can focus on their studies. Medical attention has gradually reduced.

Program Update

IAB provides three times meals for the visually challenged students and employees those who are from socio-economic background. This program offers healthy and nutritious meals to the students.
Healthy and timely food helps them the students to be active and focus on their studies.
Last year, we have renovated our dining hall and kitchen area with all necessary amenities for VI.
Healthy snacks like sprouts, Chikki’s are provided to students instead of junk foods. Morning & Evening tea and biscuits are also offered which makes them more refreshing. Students health level is monitored periodically and based on the report additional care for the needed kids.

Story from the field

Veerasanjay was born as visually impaired in a very poor family in the small town of Thirumangalam. His parents are construction labors with very poor wages. As they had to report at the working site at very early hours, Sanjay was not taken care of. Even one meal a day is a distant dream for him. With their poverty, education became not as important for them.
Since he was deprived of good food and health care, he was an undernourished child. He would be too tired and weak to focus on anything by evening and would fall asleep after dinner. He was sent to a nearby school which had no facilities for CWSN. But he has an irresistible desire to learn. Their parents came to know of IAB institution which is being run exclusively for VI.
After he was enrolled in IAB, he was given nutritious food and his health improved remarkably. After regular intake of the nutritious and tasty mid-day meal with proteins, he started to gain strength. At least one good meal is essential for a child’s well being and development. As a result, he developed a significant interested in education and extracurricular activities like football, cricket, etc.
One healthy meal can make a big difference in a child's future.

Program Update

Students are provided with highly nutritious and healthy food. Reserve Osmosis is installed for the drinking water to ensure the student's health. Monthly monitoring on food items is done.

Story from the field

PETER IMMANVEL belongs to a very poor background. During his admission to our organization he was very weak and nutrition less. Due to his weaker health, he cannot able to focus on his studies. Day by Day he was fed with healthy and timely food. Now he feels better and medicine intake level has reduced. Now he feels healthier and much focused on studies.