St Lucia Blind Welfare Association - (SLBWA) - An Organisation with a Vision

*For access to the video on the work of the SLWBA go to http://youtu.be/D3vnGN-4_t0

Located to the north, north-east of the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines, to the north-west of Barbados and south of Martinique lies the island of St Lucia. With a landmass of 617 kilometers or 238 square miles and a population of just under two hundred thousand, St Lucia is also home to over 1,000 blind and about 5,000 visually impaired persons.

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Christy - A Young Survivor

Christy - A Young Survivor

The playground at the Reunion Primary School in south west St Lucia was abuzz with activity. It was the end of the school term and it was party time!

In the distance a group of five year olds, sporting face paint, ran towards the bounce-about. One little girl who was running ahead of the others was Christy. “Christy come here” her teacher shouted. With a frown on her face she made her way towards us - disappointed that she was taken away from her classmates.

No one would have guessed that Christy is blind. With confidence that belied even a sighted child her age, she made her way towards me.

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Nathaniel's Road to Independence

Nathaniel was beaming as he shared stories from his recent trip to the United States. He laughed with delight as he recalled his first trip without his mother, rattled off the names of his new found friends and could not contain excitement about his amusement park adventure.

Like other thirteen year olds, Nathaniel is enthusiastic about life and the years ahead. But unlike many others in his age group, he has faced his fair share of challenges - these challenges, robbed him of his sight.

We arranged to meet in the town of Soufriere, St Lucia; we spotted him in the distance as he maneuvered his cane and walked towards us with a noticeable limp, he was accompanied by his mother Pricilla Clement .

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Surviving Against All Odds

The day was similar to any other for twenty six (26) year old Juliette Mauricette, as she made her way to work on the morning of Friday June 12, 2009. Little did she know that in a moment her life as she knew it for over twenty years would be changed in an instant.

Juliette, a mother of three was in a jovial mood and looked forward to the days activities at her working place - a restaurant located in Rodney Bay, St Lucia. She also had a new outlook on life, having recently separated from what was reported to be abusive relationship with her boyfriend and father of her children, Matha Joseph.

On this day, Juliette got off the bus and walked by KFC in the Rodney Bay Mall , she was caught off-guard as Joseph jumped out of nowhere with a cutlass which he used to chop her all over her body with severe blows to her eyes, nose, ears and hands.

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A Journey of Faith

She has climbed the famous Pitons in her homeland of St Lucia; she loves a good game of cricket and is proud of her accomplishments - all done since losing her sight over twenty years ago.

"I wasn't always blind, I lost my sight at the age of ten, it was to Glaucoma.”

Hyacinth Daniel is now 39 and lives in the village of Debreuil, in Choiseul, located on the southwestern side of the island.

She vividly recalls what she says was the most difficult period in her life.

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