Nepal Holds First White Cane Walkathon in Kathmandu

Nepal held its first-ever white cane walkathon in Kathmandu on Thursday, with 20 visually impaired people taking part to mark the 63rd International White Cane Safety Day 2026. The participants included 10 women and 10 men. The event was organized under the slogan “White cane, the basis of freedom, safe travel is everyone’s right.”

A first walkathon in Nepal

The walkathon brought together visually impaired participants for an event centered on the white cane and safe travel. Its organizers were the Nepal Association of the Blind, Seeing Hands Nepal, the Blind Youth Association Nepal and Supportive X. The event was described as Nepal’s first white cane walkathon.

The participation of 20 people, equally divided between women and men, was a defining detail of the gathering. The organizers’ slogan framed safe travel as a right shared by everyone and linked the white cane with freedom. The event’s stated message therefore connected mobility and independence with the broader principle that safe movement should not be limited to some members of the public.

The walkathon took place in Kathmandu on Thursday as part of the observance of International White Cane Safety Day. It was not presented only as a gathering of participants: its title and slogan placed the white cane at the center of a public event focused on visually impaired people and their right to travel safely.

The message behind the slogan

The slogan, “White cane, the basis of freedom, safe travel is everyone’s right,” brought together two themes: independence and safety. By describing the white cane as a basis of freedom, the organizers emphasized its association with a person’s ability to travel. By stating that safe travel is everyone’s right, they presented that concern as a matter for the wider public, rather than one affecting visually impaired people alone.

The walkathon’s first-ever status in Nepal gave that message added prominence. The available details do not specify the route or describe speeches or other activities, but the event’s format and slogan made safe travel the clear focus of the observance. Its organizers represented groups working with blind and visually impaired people, including associations for blind people and blind youth, alongside Seeing Hands Nepal and Supportive X.

Marking International White Cane Safety Day

The Kathmandu event marked the 63rd International White Cane Safety Day in 2026. The observance provided the occasion for the walkathon, while the participation of women and men with visual impairments made the event’s central message visible through the people taking part. The reported figure of 20 participants offers a clear account of the walkathon’s scale without suggesting a broader turnout than has been stated.

By bringing the four organizing groups together around one public event, the walkathon also created a shared platform for its message on freedom and safe travel. Its slogan placed responsibility in broad terms: safe travel, it said, is everyone’s right. That wording connects the needs of visually impaired people with a general expectation of safety and access when travelling.

Nepal’s first white cane walkathon was therefore both a milestone event and a focused observance of International White Cane Safety Day. The organizers’ message was direct: the white cane is linked to freedom, and safe travel should be recognized as a right for everyone.