Nathan* was born with a disability. He lives in a remote area of Tajikistan and has been confined to a wheelchair for many years. He was home-schooled and went to school occasionally for special occasions.
He faithfully attended the women and youth empowerment group every week except if his father’s car was broken down or if he was sick. Nathan enjoyed participating in the activity “Discovering your passion” and spoke up about the things he would like to do.
At the closing celebration, he declared, “For four years after completing grade 9 I didn’t study and was not in a class with others. Studying and being together with the community gave me a lot of self-confidence!”
The group gave each of the trainers a cup with a photo of them and a photo of the group that he had designed. Before coming to the weekly sessions, he wondered who could help him to achieve his dreams. Since starting the sessions, he started to believe that he could study.
Nathan now plans to complete his grade 11 and then would like to study at the teaching college and then teach or become an instructor for children with special needs. Participating in the empowerment group this year gave him a sense of empowerment and hope for his future.
*Name changed
