Blind foundation short of funds

Blind foundation short of funds

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): The Bandung-based Wiyata Guna Foundation, the largest caregiving foundation for the blind in Indonesia, has run short of funds because of the prolonged economic crisis affecting the country.

"The allocation of funds for the foundation has been reduced to about Rp 700 million this year from over Rp 1 billion it has received annually in the past," the head of the foundation, Sukaesih Makmur, disclosed after its 100th anniversary celebration in Bandung on Tuesday.

With the dissolution of the social affairs ministry, the foundation has had to cut its educational budget for all its levels of schooling, from kindergarten to senior high, Sukaesih said.

The Wiyata Guna Foundation, which was established by C.H.A. Westhoff, a Dutch ophthalmologist, on August 6, 1901, is currently seeking donors to finance its activities in taking care of about 250 people who are blind. (25)