My name is Abdoulkarim Abdou Madougou. I am a blind person from Niger. I am the project manager of the Voice programme for the Niger Federation of Disabled People. During the Voice programme partners’ meeting in Bamako, Mali, in December 2019, I had a very nice meeting. An exceptional meeting. I met Fatoumata Diaby, a young Malian woman with disability who was born without arms, without any arms. All her life she has faced many obstacles. She was rejected by her own mother, by most of her family. And despite all this, despite all these hardships, Fatoumata was able to study, without arms.
She got a degree in accounting, without arms.
She became a mother, without arms.
She raises her children without arms.
She takes them to school without arms.
She does all these activities without any arms.
And when I talked to Fatoumata Diaby, I realised that she is a woman full of ambition, with a lot of vision. She wants to change the world. And every day, Fatoumata Diaby shows everyone that disability, far from being a fatality, is a real blessing. And for me, this is a truly magical encounter!
