MOSCOW, October 18. /Dunyo IA/. The gala concert of the 16th International Charity Festival "White Cane" for visually impaired children was held at the "Moscow" concert hall within the "Dream Island" entertainment center, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.



The festival was organized by the Diana Gurtskaya Charity Foundation for Assistance to Visually Impaired and Blind Children, known as "By the Call of the Heart".

Over the years, approximately 12,000 visually impaired children from Russia and CIS countries have participated in the "White Cane" festival.

This year, over 800 visually impaired children from 11 countries — Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — participated in the preliminary rounds. Fifty of the most gifted performers took the stage at the gala concert alongside renowned stars of the Russian pop scene.

Following the preliminary rounds, Uzbekistan was represented at the festival's gala concert by Fotima Shavkatjanova, a student of Specialized Boarding School No. 77 for Visually Impaired Children in Tashkent.

During the gala, the Uzbek representative shared the stage with renowned Russian pop singer Soso Pavliashvili, and their joint performance was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

It is important to highlight that the festival's mission is to support children with visual impairments in showcasing their talents to a wider audience. Performing alongside celebrated artists provides these young talents with the opportunity to build self-confidence, overcome barriers, and for many, paves the way towards independent, professional, and creative lives.