Online edition of India's National Newspaper

Saturday, Feb 14, 2009

Lighting up lives
Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg share a vision for a bright future for the
visually impaired. Their foresight and teamwork have resulted in the establishment of
the IISE in Kerala, writes Saraswathy Nagarajan
Photos : S. Gopakumar

Sabriye Tenberken and

Paul Kronenberg share
a dream. Climbing
mountains and crossing
streams to follow their
dreams come easy for
this couple who
envisage a bright future
for the visually impaired.
Sabriye’s life has been
devoted to making that
dream come true for her
and thousands of others
who share her disability.
Although Sabriye lost
her eyesight at the age
of 12, she is a visionary
whose foresight has led
to the establishment of
the aesthetically
designed, eco-friendly
International Institute for
Social Entrepreneurs
(IISE) on the banks of
the Vellayani Lake on
the outskirts of
Thiruvananthapuram.
The 38-year-old is a
picture of confidence as
she confidently tackles
the muddy road from her
rented house to the
sprawling campus of Far-sighted Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg
the Institute. Her partner
Paul, co-founder and co-director of the Institute, unobtrusively follows her as she
leads, white cane in hand.
Dream factory
“We plan to develop catalysts and leaders who will take up such projects in their
respective countries. We want committed and talented adults who are visually
impaired to see blindness as a challenge, as an adventure. We want them to dream
and dream big. So this place will be a dream factory and we will also equip them with
the skills to turn that dream into reality,” says Sabriye. And when Sabriye speaks, the
world tends to listen as the word impossible does not exist in her dictionary. “I am a
stubborn person who cannot take no for an answer. So when I want to do something,
I do it,” she says.

Sabriye, which means “resilience or patience in Arabic,” says she must have
inherited the determination from her mother who travelled through Turkey, dressed
as a man to do research on Islamic art and architecture in Turkey.

The same streak of independence that made Sabriye study Tibetology as she was
drawn towards Tibet. When she found that a system of Braille did not exist for the
Tibetan language, she developed one in 1992 to be able to master her study. When
she found that people doubted her ability to travel to Tibet on her own, in 1997 she
travelled through the inner regions of Tibet on horseback where she met Paul.

In 1998 both of them returned to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to open the first training
centre for the blind. “There were children who had never seen the sun or stepped
outside their homes. We had to make them believe in themselves and get rid of their
self-pity. We wanted them to feel: ‘I am blind, so what?”’ she recalls. Eventually, the
children who were taught English, Chinese and Tibetan could turn around and
declare: ‘Yes, we are blind but we speak, read and write three languages. How about
you?’ Later, a farm was opened to teach the visually impaired animal husbandry,
vegetable cultivation and cheese-making.

Enthused by their Tibetan experience Sabriye and Paul established Braille Without
Borders (BWB) in 2002.

In three books Sabriye encapsulates the Tibetan experience: ‘My Path Leads to
Tibet,’ ‘Tashis neue Welt’ and ‘The Seventh Year.’ Recognition and media came
knocking to acknowledge the work of BWB and Sabriye was invited as a guest on an
Oprah Winfrey show. “Meanwhile, we were on the lookout for a place to open our
centre to develop social entrepreneurs. Navin Ramachandran, who hails from
Thiruvananthapuram, happened to read an interview about the work of BWB
published in the New York Times. In this interview it was mentioned that we were
planning to start a centre in South India. He got in touch with us and we came to
Kerala.”

While location hunting, on the last day of their trip to Kerala, Sabriye and Paul
stumbled upon the place where the IISE stands today. The ecologically built campus
has incorporated rain water harvesting, biogas, solar/wind energy and waste
management systems along with ecosan toilets.

One-year programme
As Paul and Sabriye walk you around the campus, Paul talks about the one-year
programme that they have conceptualised to develop social entrepreneurship. “The
23 participants here, who were selected from 14 countries, for their drive and
leadership skills, are being trained in management, fundraising, public relations
work, project planning, computers, soft skills, communication and English. They will
need these skills to negotiate with governments and to raise funds. We hope these
participants will lead by example and have a snowball effect that will motivate all
kinds of people.”

The participants of the programme at IISE will have to submit a 10-page project
proposal and present a 15-minute multi media public speech. The winner will
receives the Anandi-Ramachandran-Award of 5000 Euro to implement his/her social
or environmental project. Participants for 2010 can apply for a full scholarship until
May 2009. (Contact details project Kerala:E-mail: BrailleWB@gmx.net)

Sabriye is confident that the blind can contribute to society. “Why can’t we? We have
good communication skills, listening skills, memory and problem solving skills. We
can give a lot to society. We are not aliens.”

PARTNER IN ARMS:
Sabriye remembers meeting Paul Kronenberg in a backpacker's hostel in Lhasa. A
native of Venray in the Netherlands, Paul has a technical background.

"There were many people who doubted if I would be able to put into practice many of
my ideas. But Paul had no doubts or apprehensions" says Sabriye.

Inspired by Sabriye's mission Paul gave up his job in the Netherlands and joined
hands with Sabriye to give shape to their vision. "Yes, my parents were a little
concerned about my decision. But I was confident" he says.

An ardent environmentalist Paul is determined to ensure that the IISE does not
pollute the pristine surroundings of the Vellayani Lake. With great pride he points out
that each feature on the campus and in the buildings that have been added to make
it eco-friendly. "It was all made from locally available material. We only imported the
eco-san toilets. If someone is interested in the design we would be happy to share it
with manufacturers as it is very eco-friendly" he says.

www.braillewithoutborders.org