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Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
The national organisation for the blind and visually impaired in Cyprus.

The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind was established in 1980 by 30 blind and partially sighted people, citizens of Cyprus. Until then, sighted people, members of the Pancyprian Association for the Welfare of the Blind, had represented the blind people in Cyprus and abroad.

The Organization is non-governmental and mainly charity funded. The main financial supporter of the Organization is the above Association, which continues its involvement in fund-raising activities and projects for the welfare of the blind in general.

The Board of the Organization consists of 14 members of whom, at present, ten are men and four are women. There are also 15 standing committees operating in different areas of activity. All members of the Organization can participate in the standing committees, thus contributing to the administration and coordination of the programmes and services of the Organization.

President of the Organization is 45-year-old Senior Officer at the Ministry of Finance Christakis Nicolaides. He replaced Mr. Michael Florentzos, a 60-year-old Attorney at the Law Services, who was the President from the year of the establishment of the Organization in 1980 until the year 2005. Christakis Nicolaides was elected as the Secretary General of the Organization in the year 1996, and was re-elected for a third successive period to this post in May 2002. He was also appointed as President of one of the most important committees, which is responsible for the administration of the workshops run by the Organization for the same period. The election of the new board and the new constitution of the standing Committees, in accordance with the amendments of the constitution of the Organization, is scheduled for June, 2008.

The main goals of the Organization are the promotion of the social welfare of the blind, the prevention of blindness, the medical treatment of the blind, the promotion of the education of the blind, the encouragement and promotion of suitable academic education and vocational training of the blind, the rehabilitation and integration of the blind, the provision of the required technical aids and means for the work and the daily life of the blind, the establishment of equivalent living standards and the appropriate conditions for the integration of blind persons into the community in general, the dissemination of information concerning the problems and the welfare of the blind, and the development and the promotion of sports amongst the blind.

In order to achieve its goals, the organization maintains and runs social services, rehabilitation services, training services in special methods in the use of electronic and other aids and means, Braille and talking book libraries, transcription and recording services, information services, vocational training services, legal advice and consultation services, services for national and international relations, sports programmes, recreational activities, leisure and entertainment, etc.

Below is a list of a few of the activities of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind, in order to have a perception of its areas of engagement.

1. Continuous Close collaboration with the School for the Blind on issues of training of blind persons as switchboard operators.
2. . Organization and coordination of vocational training and rehabilitation programs for the blind in various sectors.
3. Annual General Assemblies of the Organization, which were fairly well attended (200 out of the 1.200 members.
4. Seminars on Latest Developments in the Field of Ophthalmology and Ocular Diseases and Current Therapeutic Methods.
5. Organization of meetings and seminars on various subjects concerning health and nutrition, physical fitness and eugenics by the Commissions of Youth, Women, Sports, Recreation and Leisure of the Organization.
6. Updating of the digital Catalogues of the talking book library and the library of Braille books, that can be searched electronically at the website of the University of Cyprus.
7. Coordination and organization of different events for the celebration of the European Year of Equal Opportunities of Persons with Disabilities in Cyprus.
8. Implementation of the European Union Youth Exchange Programme "Youth for Europe", with the participation of 30 members of Youth Organizations from four different European Countries.
9. Implementation of the European Union Programme "Youth for in Action", within the framework of the European Voluntary Service project.
10. Hosting the first PanHellenic Seminar and Workshop on the DAISY system for people with visual disability )Nicosia - Cyprus, September, 2006).
11. Participation to the 8th General Assembly of the European Blind Union (Antalya - Turkey, 2007).
12. Participation to the 8th General Assembly of the World Blind Union (Geneva - Switzerland, July, 2008).
13. Development of a website of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Organization.
14. Representation of Cyprus by the sports team of the Organization to the world Championship of the International Sport Federation (IBSA) (Sao Paolo - Brazil, August, 2007).
15. Representation of Cyprus at the Panhellenic Athletics Championship (Athens - Greece, June, 2007).
16. Participation of athletes to the 2008 Paralympic Games )Beijing - China, summer 2008).
17. Representation of Cyprus by the National Football Teams of the Blind and Partially Sighted (Cat. B1 and B2/B3) in different international five-a-side football tournaments.
18. Organization of a B1 International Five-A-Side Football Tournament for the Blind (Nicosia - Cyprus, March, 2008).
19. Organization of an international sports seminar under the auspices of the International Blind Sport Association on matters such as the management and coordination of activities of Sport Organizations of the Blind and guidance/support to sports teams consisting of blind and partially sighted individuals (Larnaca - Cyprus, 29November - 2 December, 2007).