In the women and youth empowerment project we address several key social and health issues, literacy, learning English, leadership in community/family, equal rights, stigma and advocacy.
Kenny has been attending one of the English groups for 2 years. He has low vision, as does his mother. When he was in grade 9 he made many mistakes when reading English. His teacher at school used to give homework without explaining anything. He said, “Before I would look at the book and pronounce the words without understanding the grammar and meaning; that’s why I didn’t like English lessons at school. I am thankful that my mother brought me here to learn more. Now I can read, and I feel happy every time I am able to understand what I am reading and give answers at a beginner level. My marks improved this year. I love learning English now, and want to continue learning it.”
A member of another one of our groups says: “My name is Dilya. I have had a disability from birth. I like the atmosphere in our group and all the topics on health prevention. I especially liked the session when we talked about healthy food and working in a team. We made a healthy and traditional menu for one day. Before coming to the group, there were many questions that we could not ask many people and get accurate answers about, and people would laugh at us if we asked the questions. In this group we built trust and could share our concerns. Our facilitator was helpful, answering our questions. I am looking forward to continuing in this group.”
For both Kenny and Dilva, the care and patience of the facilitator and the trust within the group allows them to learn and to continue to grow in confidence.
