Save the Children has introduced books with illustrations in Braille for visually impaired children.

A total of 23 fact books were launched in a programme at Namuna Machhindra School in Lalitpur in on Monday.

The visually impaired students at the school had the first experience of reading the book with their finger tips.

“The book gave me an idea of what a train looks like, I liked it,” said seventh grader Shristi Subedi after reading a book entitled Travelling by Land.

The books are outside the teaching curriculum which are based on factual accounts of people, places, animals, things and events, are available for visually impaired children between first and fifth grade. Their subjects range from lifecycle of  frogs, swimming lessons, earthquakes to famous personalities like Nelson Mandela.

Delailah Borja, country director of Save the Children, said the books were an attempt to ensure that visually impaired children have a chance to expand their knowledge and to make learning enjoyable.

“As children with disabilities are deprived of many services including education, we must ensure that they receive all such services and provide them an opportunity to read for pleasure,” Borja said.

According to Save the Children, 2,300 copies of the fact books have been published in Braille in the first phase, and will be disseminated throughout the country in all 97 resource classes in collaboration with Department of Education and Curriculum Develo-pment Centres.

Kumar Thapa, central chairperson of Nepal Blind Welfare Association, lauded the introduction of pictorial books in Braille. “Children at this age are very inquisitive and a good book can help them acquire a lot of knowledge. The inclusion of pictures in Braille books is a new initiative and will provide a new learning experience to visually impaired children,” Thapa said.