Women’s group donates ‘talking’ computers to blind school

Written by Ben Atonko Tuesday, 19 July 2011 00:25

A women association called Nigerwives Nigeria last Friday donated five computers together with their accessories to the FCT School for the Blind at Jabi, Abuja.

Nigerwives Nigeria is a national association for all non-Nigerian women who are married to Nigerians.

The association which was founded in 1987, mainly serves as a platform for the interaction and integration of nationalised women in Nigerian society.

The computers which are fondly called ‘Talking Computers’, have the software called ‘Jaws Access with Speech’.

Our reporter was told by the group that the software’s licence costs $1,800 and the software helps the blind to effectively manipulate the machine by depending on the voice that accompanies the striking of keys on the keyboard.

Highpoint was the cutting of the tape marking the formal opening of the centre. Mrs Feli Ramos of the Philippines Embassy in Abuja did the tape cutting. The embassy is one of the big donors to the project.

She was assisted by Fatima Mohammed who is president of LikeMinds (an NGO that also contributed to the project) and Grace Abrazado, who is vice president of Nigerwives, Abuja chapter.

It was not possible to quantify the cost of the project because most of the computers and the accessories were donated by different individuals and groups.

Children of the school rendered a welcome song in appreciation of the goodwill.

In her speech, the president of Nigerwives Nigeria, Abuja chapter, Mrs Gloria Inyang said the gesture was aimed at introducing a new dimension to the children’s learning experience.

“This is computer age so these children should not be left out,” Mrs Inyang stressed. She called for donations from the public to help the children, noting that the computer centre still needs air conditioners.

The principal of the school, Mrs Regina Dung thanked the donors, saying what they did is wonderful.

The FCT School for the Blind started in Zuba in 1991. It was relocated to Jabi in 2007 and has never had such computers until the women association intervened.