Translated books for the blind

Translated books for the blind

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of blind people involved with the Mitra
Netra Foundation will soon enjoy new stories and gain more
knowledge thanks to Citibank volunteers, who are to translate
various English books into Indonesian and input dictionary data
into computers to be converted to Braille letters.

Citibank's head of corporate affairs, Ditta Amahorseya said
on Tuesday that three volunteers from the bank will spend a few
hours per day on the project which is due to start later this
month.

Ditta, however did not give the exact date and the cost for
the project.

The collaboration with the Mitra Netra Foundation is borne
from the Citibank Peka program initiated earlier this year. It's
our hope that through this cooperation, the blind will have more
opportunities to learn new things and to build their potential,"
she said.

Established in 1991, the foundation is fully engaged in the
education and development of the blind. So far, it has served 213
blind people at all levels of education from grade school to
university.

Applauding the Citibank Peka scheme, Riyanti Ekowati, head of
the foundation's education, training and social division, said
"Any extra help means a lot to a blind person."

According to Ditta, the Citibank community relations program
focuses on education and is not just about providing funds but
also about actively involving Citibank staff.

More than 700 of Citibank employees have registered to become
volunteers for its programs. (bsr)