Kalaiya, Jan. 9 : The Nepal Association for Welfare of the Blind (NAWB) has released loans totaling Rs 1,093,350 to 176 blind persons under the community-based rehabilitation project for starting various income-generating activities.

The loans were distributed with the assistance of the Helen Keller Association, Japan.

The blind are learnt to have started different enterprises with the loans and have paid back Rs 919,619 in interest.

Under the project, free eye examination has been so far conducted on some 36,754 eye patients and medicine distributed free of cost to them.

The association also administered anti-polio drops to 1,022,026 children under five years of age in the district for the prevention of blindness and other eye diseases among them.

In addition to this, the association has been providing facilities for the teaching of braille to 25 blind children at three schools of the district.