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“I never imagined such a future!”

On International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the transformation that happens when women can realise their potential.

A woman stands next to a sewing machine in a workshop with colour fabric displayed on the walls. She has a tape measure around her neck.

Meet Hussaina, Knighty, Ivânia and Aminata. Their stories show how women and girls can thrive, prosper and lead when they can claim their human rights.

We were enlightened on our right to family planning.

Hussaina, who took part in an inclusive family planning project

A woman wearing a black chador smiles while sitting on a sofa.

Hussaina’s story

Hussaina remembers the time she warned her sister about the dangers of birth control: “I told her about family planning and advised her not to use it because it causes diseases like breast cancer or you might feel things like worms or snakes crawling on your skin,” she says.

Misinformation like this was rife in the community where Hussaina lived, until a unique disability-inclusive family planning project started running training sessions to provide information and teach people about their options.

The project helped address Hussaina’s fears, and as she joined in, she gained both knowledge and confidence. “We were enlightened on our right to family planning. I learned that you have to be tested for them to find the one best suited: pills, injections… you could choose. After I was enlightened, I realised it’s safe.”

Hussaina has shared what she’s learned about family planning with friends and family members, and she explains what she’d say to any other woman looking for support: “I will tell her to go to an accredited hospital that has a green logo, seek a qualified healthcare provider and do family planning, because it has no negative effects.”

Now people without disabilities come and ask for help from me.

Knighty, a business owner and tailor who trains others

A woman with a tape measure around her shoulders stands outside a workshop.

Knighty’s story

“Growing up I never imagined such a future – I didn’t think I would go this far,” says Knighty, as she gestures around her workshop while her employee, Santo, works at a sewing machine behind her.

Knighty was orphaned at the age of 10, and never went to school. As an adult, she married and had four children, but without an education she had limited financial options. “I did not have any means of making money,” she says. “I would work the garden to get food to eat.”

Her prospects changed in 2018, when she heard about a Sightsavers training programme from district leaders for people with disabilities. “When Sightsavers came and taught me, I gained knowledge and saw a change in my life,” she says. “After I finished training and came back, they gave me a sewing machine and I started using it. They gave me information on how to handle money. They taught me how to run a business.”

Now an established and respected businesswoman, Knighty trains students with and without disabilities. “Previously, people with disabilities like us had to beg for help,” she says. “Now people living without disability come and ask help from me and those that used to talk ill about me no longer do.”

The Anyim Maber project in Uganda receives funding from the European Union.

I felt very happy. I smiled at people.

Ivânia, a student who received a pair of glasses

A girl wearing red glasses stands in front of a brick wall.

Ivânia’s story

Ivânia, who’s 14 years old, loves studying biology, physics, mathematics, French and chemistry. She loves learning, but before she got glasses, she was struggling to keep up. “It was difficult for me to write what was written on the board,” she says. “Especially from the fourth-class period onward – under the bright sun, I couldn’t read what was written on the board.

Outside of school, she felt isolated and sad. “I didn’t have anyone to laugh with,” she says. “I wished I could go where my friends went because as soon as they left, I would be alone. I felt very dependent on people. So it was very difficult.”

Finding out that a pair of glasses provided through Sightsavers’ school eye health project could help with her vision impairment was an amazing day for Ivânia. “The first time I heard [about the glasses], when I saw that it was real. I felt very happy. I smiled at people.”

Getting a pair of glasses has had a huge impact on her life. “For a long time, I was labelled or nicknamed as the one who couldn’t see,” she continues. “Now that name has been taken away. Now that I have the glasses, it’s a very impactful thing. It’s a very happy thing!”

I’m back to work at the market to carry on my daily activities.

Aminata, who had an operation to treat advanced trachoma

A woman wearing an orange checked headwrap.

Aminata’s story

The scratchy, painful feeling of eyelashes scraping against her eye used to drive Aminata to distraction. “When I started having advanced trachoma, it prevented me from doing anything,” she says. She couldn’t work or sleep because of the pain and tingling in her eyes, and relied on her children to care for her, meaning they were missing out on education as they were needed at home.

Trachoma disproportionately affects women, who are up to four times more likely to be blind from the disease than men, due to their caregiving roles (the highly contagious infection is often spread by children’s hands and faces).

A trachoma elimination project supported by Sightsavers gave Aminata the opportunity to have eyelid surgery to correct the issue and stop the intense pain. The impact was life-changing. Once she’d recovered from the operation, Aminata no longer had to depend on her children, so they could return to school. She regained her independence and ability to earn an income. Best of all, her eyes no longer hurt.

“The operation relieved my pain,” she says. “Before, it was painful and I couldn’t do any work. Now I am back to work at the market to carry on my daily activities.”