Lucknow, March 24 (IANS): Eleven women para-athletes, supported by Sightsavers, have won several awards at the 9th National Deaf and Blind Para Judo Championship held in Lucknow between March 18 and 21.

The winning team members won one gold, three silver and six bronze medals. They are all residents of Hoshangabad and Jabalpur. The team, which hails from Madhya Pradesh also bagged the runners-up trophy.

The team members were among more than 60 young women who have been trained in self-defence through classes facilitated by Sightsavers in Madhya Pradesh.

The physically challenged women are more susceptible to sexual violence.

Sightsavers has been working to empower visually challenged people and aims at changing the scenario by teaching judo (martial arts) to visually challenged women in Madhya Pradesh.

By providing judo training to visually challenged women in the state, Sightsavers aims to boost women's confidence level and enable them to be more active in the public space. Some of these women have become judo trainers while others have taken part in national level championships, winning medals on behalf of the state.

R.N. Mohanty, CEO at Sightsavers India said in a release, "This is an amazing and extremely proud moment for us at Sightsavers. These children are setting examples and showing everyone that a visually impaired can do anything."