The child of a farming family in Gujarat, India, Jyotsana Nisarta was only 2 years old when she contracted polio. Jyotsana’s mother, already living with her own disabilities, was determined to minimize the effects of the disease on her daughter. Yet even with medical intervention, Jyotsana was left with considerable visual impairment.
Throughout her childhood, Jyotsana excelled in school. Opportunities are often limited for people with disabilities in India, so Jyotsana remained dependent on her family. Determined to work, she enrolled in a primary teachers training course. Jyotsana was disappointed when she was not selected to become a teacher because her test score had fallen just one point short, but she remained positive. That’s when the Blind Welfare Council in Dahod changed her life.
The Lions of District 323-F1 have supported the Blind Welfare Council for more than 10 years. With support from a US$63,000 grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), Lions helped to expand the council’s vocational training center. The council was able to take on more computer trainees and introduced tailoring, carpentry, Braille printing and offset printing programs. About 100 people each year will be trained for respected and well-paying jobs.
Jyotsana enrolled in the council’s computer training course. In only a matter of months, she completed the course and immediately was hired as a computer operator. Happy with her job, she made Rs 2,500 each month (US$36). The skills she learned in her classes at the Council enabled her to further her career, and Jyotsana soon was hired for a government job. She takes photos and thumbprints and issue identification cards to members of her community. Her monthly income has nearly doubled, which enables her to help her family as well as pay her own living expenses.
Together with Lions and LCIF, the Blind Welfare Council is empowering people with mental and physical disabilities throughout Dahod. For information on how your district can make difference in your community, visit lcif.org.
This story originally appeared in the September 2016 issue of LION Magazine.
