On 22 December 2023, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated ophthalmological and didactic equipment to the Ivorian National Institute for the Promotion of the Blind in Abidjan (INIPA), in Cote d'Ivoire. A donation ceremony was held at the institute in Yopougon, a district in Abidjan.
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The donations included state-of-the-art equipment for the institute's ophthalmology office, and braille printers to increase the capacities of the school located at the institute. Additionally, the Church funded the construction of a paved road that replaced an earthen path and helped create easier and safer access for the blind residents of the institute.
The INIPA was established in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire in 1974 and serves 450 blind Ivorians. Due to lack of funding, the institute has struggled to acquire the necessary equipment to provide services to this vulnerable population. "It was painful for a center that serves the non-visionary, the only one in the country, to have lacked ophthalmological equipment for the care of our residents for years," said Pokou Anzouman, the director of the institute. "Fortunately, you Latter-day Saints have come like Santa Claus to bring balm to our hearts."
INIPA's mission is to help blind people become active in their development. According to director Anzouman, the focus is on creating social inclusion, allowing them to have a job, a home, a family, like any other person.
Accepting the Church's donation was Aubin Tapé, the Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection in Cote d'Ivoire. He was joined by Diaby Nassalatou, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Yopougon, and Director Anzouman. Representing the Church was Bishop Dominique N'guessan of the Yopougon-Selmer Stake. Also attending the donation ceremony were supervisors from the institute, guests, parents, and friends of INIPA residents, and local members of the Church.
After reviewing the donated equipment, Director Tapé cut the symbolic ribbon on the paved path and unveiled the plaque which was installed by the Church for the occasion.
"I would like to thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for it's good works. We have seen what you have done through these important investments and hope that God will reward you many times over," said Director Tapé.
A resident of the institute who attended the ceremony said: "I can't see you, but I feel the good the your congregation had done, and I can feel what is in your hearts."
The Church of Jesus Christ was first established in Cote d'Ivoire in the late 1990's and has grown rapidly. Currently there are 63,000 members of the Church and 262 congregations in Cote d'Ivoire. In 2015 the Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire temple was announced and is currently under construction.