In 1990 a $30,000 early intervention unit of the Society for the Blind in Suva was officially opened by the society’s patron, Lady Bale Ganilau.
According to an article published by The Fiji Times on March 27 that year, the two-bedroom unit was for the use of the blind children and their parents who come to Suva for medical attention, assessment, and training.
Lady Ganilau said the society, the School for the Blind, the Rural Rehabilitation Program for the Blind, the hostel, and the unit had lit up the darkness of the lives of the blind and had given them hope to carry on.
“The Early Intervention Unit that has been established is a sterling example of the realisation of faith, hope and charity,” she said.
The Early Intervention Program began in July, 1984 with a workshop for field workers and volunteers conducted by a Helen Keller consultant, Frances Wiesenfeld.
The president of the society, Ram Shankar, said the program emphasised early education and social intervention so that correct learning could begin as soon as possible for the handicapped child.
It involves teaching the parents how to cope with their child’s disability and both parents and children are taught to cope with the day-to-day activities.
The society launched the Blind Appeal in 1989 and raised $30,737.
The unit was completed at a total cost of $30,479 with furnishings, kitchen fittings, utensils, and other necessary household accessories donated by various businesses and charitable organisations.
