Francophone association of visually-impaired persons born in Casablanca

Casablanca played host on Thursday to the constitutive assembly of the Francophone association of visually-impaired persons.

The assembly, held under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, was chaired by princess Lalla Lamia, chairwoman of the Alawit Association for the protection of blind persons in Morocco.

Secretary general of the International Francophone Organization, Boutros-Boutros Ghali, sent participants a message in which he hailed the initiative as humane and generous, allowing for a better integration of blind persons in active life and consolidate north-south cooperation.

For acting chairman of the association, Richard Lavigne, the Union will be a forum of collaboration and solidarity opening a historic and hopeful way for the community of visually-impaired persons.

An exhibition on education and work equipment for the blind was also held, displaying mainly a computer with a keyboard in Braille, reading and publishing devices, a sound library and games.

The Alawit Association for the protection of blind persons in Morocco signed with the French Valentin Hauy association a convention for the training of educators and with the Tunisian national union of blind persons an agreement to develop cooperation.

Participants came from Chad, Canada, Belgium, Mali, Cameroon, Madagascar, France, Tunisia, Switzerland, Gabon, Mauritania, the Netherlands, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritius, Togo, Central African Republic, Guinea, Senegal and Burkina Faso.