Background

The United Blind Persons of Fiji (UBP) was established in 1992 by a group of blind individuals to lobby and advocate on behalf of blind and vision impaired persons. This was due to an obvious need for the raising of awareness to the general public on issues affecting people with vision impairment. UBP is made up of vision impaired and sighted persons and is an affiliate of Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation.

UBP has a membership of about 200 people who actively participate in the program and activities of the Association. The office of UBP is situated at the Fiji National Council For Disabled Persons “FNCDP” Complex, 3 Brown Street Suva.

UBP has been involved in many activities on its own and with FDPF and other affiliates. UBP activities have been designed not to duplicate any service or activity that is carried out by another organization in the country.

The Association operates with an Executive Committee which is elected every two years on volunteer basis. The committee includes the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and five committee members with the inclusion of the immediate past President; the role of the Committee is to oversee the operations of UBP. The office is managed by two full time staff, the Programme Officer and an Administration Assistant with the active support of dedicated volunteers.

Major recent achievements include:

• Bringing about greater awareness on the needs of people who are blind/ vision impaired by conducting various awareness programs in consultation with the provincial Council office.
• Ensuring that Fiji’s new currency design considered the needs of blind and vision impaired persons. This consultation resulted in the Fiji dollar notes printed in different sizes.

Mission Statement

The mission of United Blind Persons of Fiji is to advocate on behalf of blind and vision impaired persons in Fiji in all areas and at all levels of society, with the objectives:

• To identify, inform, counsel, and refer blind and vision impaired persons and their families to appropriate services
• To develop and implement ongoing programs of public awareness and blindness prevention
• To identify and facilitate the provisions of appropriate services that are currently not available to blind and vision impaired persons
  To affiliate with and support the effort of national, regional and international disability organizations as well as other appropriate bodies whose vision and activities help improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities