WBUAP QUADRENNIUM PLAN OF ACTION (QPA)

Towards achieving the three main objectives –
1. The strengthening of organisations in the SEARC countries to better serve their blind clients through the exchange of information and the giving of encouragement and support;

2. The setting up of national task forces in countries that have not already done so to lobby their governments to implement the WBU-ICEVI Initiative "Education For All Vision-Impaired Children" by 2015; and,

3. By encouraging the more developed organisations to assume more responsibilities in making WBUAP a stronger and resilient regional body that can speak and act on issues affecting blind people - the QPA, in brief, outlines the following actions to be taken:

1. Appoint a Liaison Officer:
In order to respond speedily to correspondences and to act on decisions made by WBUAP, every affiliate should appoint a Liaison Officer (or Co-ordinator) to deal directly with the WBUAP Secretariat. Some form of incentive should be considered for those affiliates giving their co-operation to this proposal such as giving special attention to requests for assistance, helping them with the payment of membership, or the awarding of places for training, etc.

2. To Partner An Organisation:
The more developed organisations be encouraged to partner or work closely with one or two weaker ones to give them special attention by way of monitoring their progress, sharing of ideas and expertise, and assisting them in whatever way possible.

3. Making Fund-Raising a Priority:
As funds is the lifeline of any organisation and most organisations of the blind in this sub-region are poorly funded, WBUAP should give special attention to this aspect of work by sourcing assistance from WBU or its affiliates with the necessary expertise. These weak organisations should be given training in the writing of proposals, planning of projects, and the different methods of fund-raising, both on a small- and large scale.

4. Organisational Development:
For an organisation to develop and continue to grow, the leaders need to receive training in various aspects of running an organisation similar to what the Danish Association of the Blind is doing in Laos and Mongolia. WBUAP should source for expertise from within its circle and outside WBU for help in leadership training, developing advocacy skills, and creating public awareness in support of its work.

5. Education For All Vision-Impaired Children:
To follow up with the work of National Task Forces where they exist, and help those countries to form them where they do not exist and persuade the organisations of the blind to be partners in the programme.

6. Help with Basic Items:
Every effort should be made by WBUAP to help blind children in the weaker countries with basic items, such as Braille paper, writing slates, white canes and recreational games sets. In countries where they can read English or Malay story books, donation of this kind should be promoted actively.

7. Programme Exchange:
To make available opportunities for blind trainees to attend courses run by training centres in computer literacy, vocational rehabilitation, blindness-specific skills, etc. In order for the Exchange Programmes to materialise, efforts should be made to secure scholarships for them and to cover travel expenses in appropriate cases.

8. Economic Empowerment:
Every effort should be made to encourage blind people to go into economic ventures, such as micro-credit schemes for self-employment or running co-operatives, etc. To do this, WBUAP should make it a priority to set up an Employment Committee with one of its tasks being to gather information from successful organisations running such projects for circulation and replication. Bulk purchasing is something that needs to be pursued profitably.

9. Setting Up A Finance Committee:
For any organisation to progress there must be sufficient funds as stated earlier. For this reason, WBUAP should appoint a Finance Committee and one of its main tasks would be to source for funding.

10. Planning and Organising Regional Conferences/Seminars:
In the course of the next Quadrennium the following seminars/workshops should be considered: Employment (including massage), Education, ICT, Living Skills, Economic Empowerment and Fund Raising. These seminars/workshops to be undertaken by different countries for the benefit of the others in the WBUAP Region.

11. Strengthening the Secretariat:
To strengthen the Secretariat so that it becomes the Central Co-ordinating base for WBUAP.

12. WBUAP Website:
Establishing a WBUAP website with links to National Organisations. The advantageous value of such a website needs no elaboration.