Roza Abraham-Ethiopia

Roza Abraham is my name and I was born blind in the rural village of South Wello, Wereilu, Ethiopia, I grew up seeing possibilities where others saw only darkness and limitations. From my earliest memories, life was a quiet confinement, my family, loving but bound by the ignorance of our community, kept me at home because no one knew how a blind child could possibly go to school or chase dreams. There was no support, no understanding of what children with disabilities needed, and I often wondered if my life would just be this: staying indoors, hidden away, while the world moved on without me. I never thought I could achieve anything big, but deep down, a spark flickered, I wanted more, even if I didn’t know how to reach it.​

Everything shifted when my aunt visited one day and found me still out of school, her heart breaking at the sight. She promised right then that she would get me into one, no matter what. But the path wasn’t easy, oh no, it was a battle. When she offered to take me to Addis Ababa to start schooling, the whole village gathered at our house for three full days, debating fiercely against it. “What if she can’t handle it? What if she fails?” they said. Fear ruled their voices. It was my uncle who stood up, his words cutting through the noise like light through shadows: “We cannot let fear dictate her future. She can learn, grow, and live a better life.” Those words saved me. I traveled to Addis Ababa, my heart pounding with a mix of terror and hope. Six months later, I stepped into Shashemene School for the Blind, and from that first moment, I was alive with excitement. I dove into everything, poet, actress, stage leader, you name it. That school didn’t just teach me; it gave me the confidence to dream bigger than I ever imagined. I joined the Girls Club, Mini Media, Disability Club, and Civics Club. As president of the Disability Club, I led a project providing tutoring for national entrance exams and advocated hard for assistive devices. I approached organizations for funding and support and people listened. I learned to fight for others while fighting for myself. Wow, right? It was there I realized: if I see an opportunity, I grab it with both hands.

Those achievements opened doors I never knew existed. I earned a spot in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Gondar for a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, a life-changer that provided not just financial support but an accessible campus where I could truly flourish. The environment was unlike anything before; it nurtured me. I threw myself into trainings on project management, entrepreneurship, community-based rehabilitation (CBR), computer skills, and employability. I served as class representative, conducted research, coordinated the university’s social work association during breaks, and volunteered to mentor students who needed guidance. I even won the Speak Your Mind storytelling competition on Baobab with my story, “The World through My Imperfectly Perfect Vision.” A year after graduating, I became a lecturer at the University of Gondar, dreams do come true, and I realized it wasn’t just luck; it was hard work, seizing every chance, and never giving up. During breaks, I interned at the Addis Hiwot Center for the Blind, offering psychosocial support and teaching Braille to those who lost sight later in life. Now, I work with Together Ethiopia to raise disability awareness, build capacity, and shift attitudes through inclusive activities like fashion shows, contemporary dance, painting, and serving as a waiter in the Dinner in the Dark program at hotels. Every step showed me what’s possible when one person believes in you.​

But here’s the truth that burns in me: I know the gaps intimately because I lived them. Gaps in support from childhood through adulthood, where kids like me are kept home, hidden, their potential wasted. And my journey kept accelerating. In October 2025, I joined the Lead Without Limits cohort for blind youth at Tyrone Havnar Foundation, a transformative experience that lit a fire under my ambitions. Surrounded by fellow blind leaders from Zambia, Nigeria, Namibia and Ethiopia, we dove into leadership training, networking, and bold visioning, proving that with the right support, we can lead without limits. The Foundation’s network gave me tools for project scaling, disability advocacy, and global connections. Now, as an alumna, I’m ready to pay it forward for Ethiopia’s marginalized kids.

My Dream organization

Now I’m launching Inclusive Futures for Childcare and Youth Development, my dream made real, a childcare organization to restore voices for the most marginalized children and families. Every child, no matter their ability, deserves to grow, learn, and lead. I have seen what’s possible with belief and resources, and I want to be that believer for others. No more kids sidelined because of disability or poverty. My journey, the aunt’s promise, the uncle’s stand, the school’s spark, the university’s wings, builds directly to this. I lacked consistent guidance, emotional support, vocational paths, family involvement. Now, I’ll provide it all, especially for those with special cases like mine, showing them they are not defined by disability but empowered beyond it. This organization will be their stepping stone to independence, just as others were mine.

Our Beneficiaries

We serve children aged 0-18 as primary beneficiaries, with follow-up until they stand on their own feet entering jobs or university. This includes especially marginalized kids with disabilities, like blind or hearing-impaired youth hidden away by families fearing shame. Families get workshops on parenting skills, nutrition, wellness, and bonding to strengthen parent-child ties. Local communities join through clean-ups, service projects, and partnerships, gaining access to resources while contributing volunteers and awareness. Personas like Almaze, a mother needing education for her 10-year-old disabled child and career advice for her 17-year-old genius, or Ziyad, a hearing-impaired high schooler from a poor family eager for university prep but terrified of joblessness, these are our heart. We tackle pain points head-on: insufficient accessible resources, lack of job readiness guidance, limited family engagement. Everyone thrives, disabled or not, poor or struggling, because resources make anything possible.​

Programs for Transformation

Our holistic model spans early childhood to young adulthood. Early education features play-based learning, literacy (including Braille), social skills, and creative arts to hit developmental milestones. After-school enrichment boosts homework, sports, team-building. Teen programs build leadership via workshops, community service, mentorship on social issues. Family engagement includes parenting seminars, health screenings, mental health awareness. Arts explode with music, dance, theatre, cultural exchanges. Community service fosters citizenship through clean-ups and charity ties. Vocational training for 15-18 covers career exploration, resumes, interviews, internships, scholarships. Mentorship pairs youth with adults for academic, social, career growth. Goals, Strong foundations, confidence in differences, academic boosts, leadership, workforce readiness, family strength, healthy lifestyles, diversity celebration, community respect, all fostering resilience and self-esteem.​

The Change I Want

I envision empowered young people thriving emotionally, socially, economically. Resilient leaders who give back what they have received. No child locked away; instead we have proud families and communities that are inclusive, disabled kids proving they can lead. Our theory of change is a continuous support from cradle to career building emotional resilience and independence. Our impact model prioritizes well-being and vocational readiness for long-term wins. We are an NGO-social enterprise hybrid, governed by a board, executive director, program coordinators, outreach specialists. Our stakeholders are young people, parents, schools, businesses, advocates who collaborate for referrals, resources mobilization and, policy change.​

My Ask to Launch

To make this real, I ask for seed funding focused on three priorities:

1) Program development for youth,

2) Community partnership strategies,

3) Sustainable funding models.

Initial implementation demands resources for planning (community data), governance setup, partnerships with schools/businesses, facility design (accessible, resource-rich), staff hiring/training, curriculum creation, marketing/outreach, and opening events. Sustainability via grants from government/NGOs, business sponsorships for jobs/internships, fundraising events.

To support me please DONATE, click here : BLIND LEADERS INNOVATION FUND

WhatsApp message on +260765458199