After Losing Her Sight, UWASE Aisha Regains Hope for the Future at Masaka Resource Centre for the Blind
MASAKA, Rwanda – UWASE Aisha, a 25-year-old girl from Nyagatare District, says her life changed in ways she never imagined after suffering severe headaches that eventually caused her to lose her eyesight. However, since joining the Masaka Resource Centre for the Blind, she says she has regained hope and confidence for the future.
Aisha explains that she had just completed her secondary education in the Higher Education General (HEG) combination and was looking forward to pursuing higher studies and building her future. But losing her sight brought all her dreams to an abrupt halt.
“It started with severe headaches, and before long, I realized I could no longer see. It was extremely difficult to accept because I felt like my life was over,” she recalls.
She says the three years she has lived with visual impairment have not been easy, especially during the early days when she struggled to accept her new reality and felt unable to interact with others or live independently.
“At first, I fell into deep despair. I isolated myself and avoided people, even though I had just completed secondary school. I felt like I had no future.”
Determined to rebuild her life, Aisha eventually enrolled at the Masaka Resource Centre for the Blind, where she has spent more than five months receiving training that has helped restore her confidence and independence.
She says the centre has done far more than teach her how to read and write Braille. It has also equipped her with practical life skills and vocational training, including agriculture, cooking, and other livelihood skills that enable her to become self-reliant.
“Since arriving here, I have realized that life goes on. I can now do many things on my own, and I have learned to read and write Braille.”
Aisha says that before joining the centre, she believed she would always depend on others for assistance. Today, she understands that people with visual impairments can live independently, work, and contribute meaningfully to their families and to the country’s development.
She has no intention of stopping where she is. Instead, she hopes to return to school and continue her education, pursuing the dream she has held since childhood of becoming a journalist.
According to Aisha, blindness should never be a barrier to achieving one’s dreams. She believes the knowledge, skills, and support she has received at the Masaka Resource Centre for the Blind have shown her that people with visual impairments can live independently, work productively, and make valuable contributions to society.
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