Mission Statement
"To maintain the position of Braille as an essential medium for literacy
and communication for the world blind to ensure independence and
economic security."
World Braille Foundation
NEW
LEADERSHIP AWARD 2013
GERALD DIRKS SCHOLARSHIP FOR ADVANCEMENT OF BRAILLE LITERACY
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World Braille Foundation
Why is Braille Important?
Braille = Equality and is a building block to literacy and independence.
Literacy is the key to opportunity, economic security and freedom. Yet in most developing countries blind children receive little or no education. The lack of skilled teachers and limited access to braille materials or equipment means that in many countries that at least 95 per cent of blind children do not attend school.
For adults, braille skills dramatically increase opportunities for employment but basics such as braille paper or instruction are often not available.
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Our Partnerships
The World Braille Foundation collaborates with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), governments in the developing world, international non-government organizations, the World Blind Union, the International Council for the Education of the Visually Impaired (ICEVI), United Nations agencies, libraries for the blind and other leading organizations of and for the blind. The Foundation promotes, as a priority, in-country partnerships with all projects implemented at the local level.
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Current Projects
Today we are on the ground in Kenya, Swaziland and Niger with new projects proposed for Burkino Faso, Mali, Liberia and Lesotho to commence later this year. Our local work is designed to assimilate with the current government and community infrastructure to create a sustainable learning environment.
In its 10 years of operation the World Braille Foundation has successfully implemented and directly financed more than 42 projects in 22 countries throughout the developing world to a total of $400,000.
Swaziland and Niger: a recent project includes a partnership with CIDA on a two year project based on Equitable Access to Education for Blind or Visually Impaired girls and Boys in rural Africa to be completed in 2011.
In 2008 the Foundation established the Barbara Marjeram Scholarship for Braillie literacy which provides up to $1000 a year as an award to blind girls and women.
In our first decade we completed projects in the following countries...