Braille, Courage and Determination: Urielle Builds Hope Amid Challenges in the Central African Republic
BANGUI: Urielle’s world is full of challenges — but it is also full of ambition. Losing her sight as a child didn’t break her spirit. Instead, it strengthened it. Today, at 20, she is thriving at a UNICEF-supported training centre for visually impaired children in Bangui, thanks to support from Education Cannot Wait.
The centre provides specialised learning in braille, literacy and national curriculum subjects, ensuring children with vision impairments are not left behind. Many students there are accessing education for the first time in their lives. Lessons are taught by visually impaired teachers assisted by sighted educators — creating a powerful environment of understanding and empowerment.
Every morning, Urielle boards a special tuk-tuk to school. Her passion for learning grows daily. She loves social sciences, storytelling and learning about the world. Education, she says, “opens stories in my mind” — and fuels her dream of becoming a journalist.
Living in one of the world’s most fragile countries, she knows hardship. CAR faces ongoing conflict, lack of services and limited access to schooling. For disabled children, stigma and exclusion often compound these struggles. Many are hidden away, denied opportunities and silenced.
But Urielle’s story is one of resilience. Supported by her parents, she learned to ignore discriminatory voices and embrace her right to education. Now she not only excels academically but also trains as a long-distance runner, dreaming of joining the Paralympics and one day hosting her own radio programme.
Since 2017, ECW and UNICEF have been helping rebuild hope for children in CAR, expanding education access, supporting teachers and strengthening national systems. Through initiatives like the vision-impairment training centres, they ensure that no child is left behind.
Urielle’s dreams shine bright. They prove one clear truth — when children receive opportunity, support and education, they can shape extraordinary futures, no matter the odds.
-wilayah.com.my/
