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Guwahati, March 20 : The 33-year-old Guwahati Blind High School today received a corporate touch to improve healthcare and other basic facilities for its students.

“Students were facing problems in terms of getting timely healthcare, pure drinking water and Braille textbooks. Now things are set to change as a corporate house has come forward to address these problems. Students have been included under a health scheme, which will provide free health check-ups and treatment at a private hospital thrice a year.

“A water purifier has also been installed at the school. Musical instruments have been given to students. More importantly, the corporate house has decided to provide free Braille books for students of Classes VIII-X,” the headmaster, Bhaben Barman, said.

The Guwahati Blind High School is a residential institution located at Pilingkata near Basistha. It caters to students from Class I to Class X (till High School Leaving Certificate). The teachers are trained in Braille.

Set up in 1976 by the Society for Welfare of Blinds, the school provides training to under-privileged children. The school has now 74 students, including 28 girls.

Today’s initiative was taken by Amway Opportunity Foundation, the corporate social responsibility wing of Amway India Enterprises Pvt Ltd.

Barman said even though the school receives funds from the state government to pay salary to its staff and bear essential expenses, it cannot look to the government every time to meet other requirements. He said the corporate sector and other NGOs must come forward to improve condition of the school.

“Most of the students are from very poor families and their parents cannot afford their basic healthcare requirements. The health scheme introduced by Amway Foundation will be a great boon for the students and they would be able to lead a healthy life. Musical instruments will help the students to relax,” the headmaster said.

Bickramjit Paul, area manager (Northeast) of Amway India said the health scheme would include free health check-ups by medical specialists and all necessary medical tests of children.

He said the company would ensure that not a single student of the school suffered from any ailment. “We have been facing problem of getting Braille books in time. Today we received some books and were assured that all other books will be distributed soon. I can now concentrate on my studies and do well in the next examination,” Madhab Das, a student of Class VIII, said.