Several French and African associations committed to the integration of blind and visually impaired people met last weekend in the Paris region. The objective of this weekend? Present projects carried out in different countries and inspire each other.
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This meeting takes place every two years, at the initiative of the French association Voir Ensemble which works with educational structures in French-speaking Africa to support young people with visual impairments.
Among the participants in this weekend of international solidarity, there is Paul Tezanou. Fifty years ago, he created the Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix Center for the Blind in Cameroon. Suffering from an illness which deprives him of his voice, he speaks using an electronic device: “ We are inclusive, because we did not want to create a ghetto. We do not lock up the blind in our center. We don’t need alms. We need to be empowered. »
Denis Guérin works in a Braille printing company in Toulouse, in the south of France. The printing works supports the center for young blind people in Ndjamena, Chad. He presents this place. “ It’s a reconstitution family where we will grow up in safety within the confines of a building. We are going to learn Braille, which is an incredible guarantee of autonomy. »
Like other participants, he calls for strengthening projects between African countries to improve the education of young blind people. “ Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, these are countries where we see associations for the visually impaired. So, we absolutely have to share. There must be South-South Sahelian relations between the countries, the same cultures. »
All the speakers highlighted the successes of the blind and visually impaired students supported, who obtained diplomas and some began university studies.