Sabriye TenberkenKottayam: When Paul Kronenberg embarked on a leisure trip to Bhutan some years ago little did he know that the journey would change his life forever.
The Dutchman was roaming around, savoring the beauty of hilly landscapes and bustling streets, when he saw a blind girl waiting to cross the road. He held her hands firmly and helped her reach the other side of the road.
Sabriye Tenberken, that little girl, has not let go of his hand ever since he met her at that junction. She nodded happily to Paul’s request to join him in his life's journey and work together to build a better world.
For the visually impaired in Tibet, Sabriye, a German national, is an incarnation of Louis Braille, the French man who lighted up lives of blind people from across the world.
Sabriye became blind at the age of 12, but she was not ready to give up. Along with Paul, she founded an organization called Braille Without Borders (BWB), a first of its kind in Tibet, with an objective to empower blind people. They also took the initiative to break conventional myths and stereotypes about the blind.
However, the ambitious program died a premature death after Chinese authorities expelled them from Tibet.
A few months later, Sabriye wrote an article in an English magazine about the ordeal she faced. Soon, she got an invitation to visit Kerala from a person who happened to read that heart-warming write-up.
Sabriye and Paul landed in Thiruvananthapuram in 2005. They launched ‘Kanthari International’, an innovative academic program which aims at unearthing and honing the hidden talents of disabled and socially-neglected people.
So far, around 141 persons representing 38 countries have undergone training through Kanthari.
“Kanthari enables them to build a more positive approach towards life. Those who are trained here will stand up and fight come what may,” says Sabriye.
Roping in disabled to mainstream
Kanthari has commenced admission process for its annual leadership training program.
Classes will be held at the Kanthari centre near Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram from May 2017 onwards.
The government-accredited program aims at improving the communication and leadership skills of persons with different types of disabilities in an effort to bring them to the mainstream.
Anyone with basic knowledge of English and computer skills and above 22 years of age is eligible to apply. The candidate should also be willing to volunteer for social causes.
The National Quality Council under the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training recently accredited Kanthari as a vocational training center promoting leadership training for social change.
