About Ujjala Society in 16 Pepsi Road, Sant Nagar West, Burari, Delhi

Ujjala means ‘light’ in Hindi. The Ujjala Society for the Blind was established on April 1st, 2004, in New Delhi, India, by Mrs. Shalini Shamnath, Mrs. Neeru Bhargava and Mrs. Dolly Bhatia. Our mission is to support and empower visually-challenged young men by providing them with shelter, medical care and access to education, with the ultimate goal of enabling them to become self-sufficient and to find suitable employment.

The Society began by offering shelter to 10 visually-challenged boys who at the time were living in very unsuitable conditions in a hostel in the Burari area of North Delhi. It has since grown to become home to 35 young men aged between 16 and 30. They hail from various regions of India such as Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, and are looked after by a team of three dedicated persons who support them in their daily lives.

Apart from providing accommodation and health care, the Society also facilitates the young men’s access to education and vocational training, in particular by teaching them computer literacy skills, acupressure and massage, and candle-making. Each year before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, tens of thousands of diyas (small cup-shaped oil lamps) are made and delivered to homes and businesses across Delhi and its environs. The returns are used to meet the expenditures associated with the running of the Society, in particular to cover the rent for our shelter facility.

The Ujjala Society for the Blind is partially funded through the London-based Global Relief Initiative and the Delhi Lions Club, but it also relies extensively on the generous support of private donors without whose financial assistance it would be impossible to function.Following several moves and expansion, the Society is currently located in a rented building at 16 Pepsi Road, Sant Nagar West, Burari, Delhi-110084, India. Our future aims are to expand the offer of vocational training programs and to relocate to a permanent site by purchasing our own piece of land and building a new home with facilities to live, work and play.

With this purpose in mind, we have created this Facebook page to reach out to the public and encourage them to support us in our mission. We welcome financial donations and are especially keen to hear from individuals and organizations with similar interests or who have suggestions for collaboration and help. Messages of encouragement and support are also very welcome and will be passed on to our young men. If you wish to get in touch with us and find out more about our work and how you can get involved, whether in India or abroad, please contact us at the following email address: ujjalasociety[at]gmail[dot]com