Kovalam to host Barrier-Free Kite Festival in April

Thiruvananthapuram: Kovalam is all set for the second edition of the Barrier-Free International Kite Festival .

The festival is being organized by a city-based NGO – Helping Hands Organization (H20) – in collaboration with One India Kite Team and Kerala Tourism’s Responsible Tourism Mission for differently-abled children.

The two-day event with the social message, ‘as different as you’, will be held on April 27 and 28. Professional kite flyers, including those from Germany, South Korea, Malaysia and the United States, will showcase their skills at the festival.

According to Jolly Johnson, founder of Helping Hands Organization, around 650 differently-abled children are expected to participate in this edition of the festival.

“The festival is a celebration and an attempt by our volunteers across the state to create a barrier-free and inclusive space for the differently-abled children. Apart from differently-abled children, including children with autism, blindness and wheelchair-bound children, thousands of people from the different segments of society such as inmates of orphanages, senior citizens from old-age homes, and students from various schools and colleges are expected to participate in the event,” said Johnson.

Eco-friendly kites will be used for the festival. “Same as last year, we are using eco-friendly kites such as paper kites and cloth kites. This year’s tag line is ‘let’s fly to break barriers’, which aims to build an inclusive and barrier-free society for differently-abled children. To create awareness, we will hold a ‘professional kite tour’ to major cities of Kerala such as Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur,” added Johnson.

As a part of the festival, various programmes like workshop on kite making, games and interactive programmes will be held.