Volunteers for the Blind Foundation

Volunteers for the Blind is a platform serving the blind. We bring our personal unique touch, skills and background for their benefit. We join a larger team & learn while we work & contribute. Collectively, we become an asset for the organisation & are thereby able to do much more than what we as individuals are able to deliver. We contribute our time and money according to our personal situation & preference.
We are not flung into the ring blindly with no background. Grooming, training & refreshing is undertaken at regular intervals, converting each of us from an interested volunteer to a passionate service provider with a professional outlook.
Interacting with persons with blindness shows us how the blind are achievers, driving themselves forward with vigour; putting some of us able bodied people to shame. We become conscious of the need to learn more, achieve more & grow ourselves as individuals.

‘Seva’ is an Indian tradition which we all feel the need for. Doing something for others with no reward or return is innate in our culture & we all feel that it’s the ‘right thing to do’. But Volunteers for the Blind is evolving a sophisticated system of rewards, which doesn’t involve a salary.
The organisation works nationally, reaching out to the huge numbers of the blind, directly & through NGOs. In some programmes, the reach of services is extended to Persons with other Disabilities, too. We try and help those in smaller towns & cities first as they are hugely deprived. We assist infants and the elderly; help find food & job opportunities; assist with tech support; offer information & help with developing talent & ability.

My myth regarding veterans from Armed Forces to be less social and cordial got evaporated when I got in touch with Colonel Pradeep Kapoor, Executive Director (Operations) at Volunteers for the Blind Foundation. I was planning to join a genuine non-governmental organization to work as a volunteer during my leisure time and i came in contact with Volunteers for the Blind Foundation which is headquartered in New Delhi, but has active presence in twelve States and three other countries besides India. They have twenty-two members and around 800 volunteers worldwide.

I came in touch with Colonel Kapoor in the year 2014, however, the organization came into being in the year 2000. As the name suggests, Volunteers for the Blind Foundation provides nurtured and truly devoted volunteers from various walks of life who have passion and genuine sensitivity towards working for visual impaired people. The organization conducts training and refresher courses for volunteers at regular intervals so that they not only stay involved and engaged, but may share their experiences with others to encourage, motivate and inspire.

In the beginning, none came in touch with me for some time, but eventually when Colonel Kapoor got in touch with me, I gathered great insights about the organization and became a part of Volunteers for the Blind Foundation. They work with several NGOs working for visually impaired people including National Centre for Employment of Persons with Disabilities (NCPEDP). Volunteers for the Blind (VFB) provides volunteers and guidance to various NGOs genuinely working for visually challenged people. The donors of VFB feel highly satisfied as they get a unique opportunity of choosing which project (s) they wish to donate for and they receive factual and accurate reports regarding the progress of the project (s). The organization provides a great opportunity for volunteers to grow and contribute. The delighting experiences are umpteen and exposures are amazing and contributions are fulfilling.

Volunteers for the Blind Foundation maintains complete transparency and it believes in due recognition for concerted and sincere efforts made by any and every volunteer. One may rise in hierarchy purely based. Hierarchy simply means greater responsibility and accountability. It also brings bigger challenges and limitless opportunities and a great platform to build, manage and nurture team of like-minded enthusiasts who care for visually impaired people.

The entity also assists visually challenged individuals at its own end as well regarding their growth and development at all the fronts. Be it placements, sports and other important aspects; Volunteers for the Blind assists in all. In fact, there are many volunteers in the organization who are blind but are truly motivated, dedicated and contribute their bit fully.

Over a period of time, I have witnessed the organization evolving at all the fronts. VFB has brought in technological tools and platforms to stay better connected amongst selves and the outside world, but the human warmth is every bit intact. I have observed the members and also many volunteers of VFB reaching out to more and more NGOs for the blind in various regions, especially those which have not been touched yet. They are in a process of spreading and stretching their wings further and wider in order to serve highest number of visually impaired persons. I can confidently state that it is an organic entity and governed by love, affection, care, concern and passion to serve the blind.

Jai Hind!