By Neo Kolane
Vodacom Lesotho Foundation injected M2-million into assisting visually impaired persons by launching an Insight Centre yesterday at the State Library in Maseru.
The centre situated at the State Library will enable equal access and inclusion by providing visually impaired persons with specialized services such as provision of books.
The Insight Centre has a braille printer, Eye-Pal solo scanner, victor reader and 10 computers with software from supernova to help navigate the computer.
The chairman of the board of Vodacom Lesotho Foundation, John Matlosa said the aim for the foundation is to invest in critical areas of development in line with the government of Lesotho’s national strategic development plan.
Matlosa said the foundation has a huge responsibility to lend a hand to Basotho.
“The equipment might not be enough because it is only situated in one place in Maseru. We are therefore pleading with our partners to hold hands with us and make it possible for the equipment to be available in other districts,” Matlosa said.
On behalf of the director of Lesotho National League of Visually Impaired Persons, Lisebo Molopeli who is the chairperson of the organisation office was grateful for the foundation’s gift.
Molopeli said the offer will the visually impaired and blind university students to use the library without any need for assistance.
The minister of communication, science and technology, Tṧoinyana Rapapa commended Vodacom Lesotho Foundation for bringing digital literacy to “ensure that the visually impaired do not feel left out.”
He thought the digital inclusion for the visual impaired as a human right issue which needs to receive special attention in Lesotho’s legislation, policies and guideline.
“In this vein, I am pleased to emphasize that technology exists precisely to create opportunities for the previously marginalized members of our society.
“Even some of us who God has blessed with sightedness still depend on technology to be able to achieve a lot in a short time,” Rapapa said.
He added: “We acknowledge that the Insight Centre bases its technology on Braille as that lauded original invention for the visually impaired. However, looking ahead, the world needs to configure, transmit, and store knowledge more in other forms such as graphics, pictorial, audio and visual for everyone and not just the visually impaired.
The Vodacom Lesotho Foundation aligns itself with the goal of building a healthy, safe and educated generation of Basotho, who are able to harness opportunities for growth, creating wealth and embracing innovation, which would in turn generate the much needed employment opportunities and general improvement in the livelihoods and quality of life for all.
It supports sustainable initiatives that drive social change, improve people’s lives and solve pressing social needs.
