Shattered dreams
My first thought was that everything was over. There was no chance I could continue at school. I had planned to do as well as possible in school, so that I could become a doctor, teacher, or something else important. To be able to earn money and support myself and my family. Now all my dreams had been shattered. How would I survive? I just cried and cried. Things had turned out every bit as bad as I had feared. I couldn’t go to school.
   All I could do was lie at home. Even my family thought a blind child was no use to any one. For months I just lay there. Idle, alone and with no friends. My aunt and my cousin Fatinja washed me and changed my clothes. They even fed me. I felt completely worthless.

Came to Manuel
When I had been lying there like that for three months, a man came to our house and introduced himself as Manuel. He said, ‘I’m blind like you. I can help you. If you come with me to Bissau you can start school again. And when you’re finished your education you’ll be able to apply for a good job and start working like everyone else. Look at me. I’m blind but I can do it. But you’ll have to fight hard.’ I wasn’t entirely convinced by what he said, but I felt I was prepared to take the chance. Manuel talked to my family too. They had never heard that blind people could go to school, read, write, count and help out at home, and they found it hard to believe. But after meeting Manuel they realised it could be true.
   First, Manuel took me to the hospital in the capital to get me the right medication, not to be able to see but to make my body healthy. Then I moved into Manuel’s centre.

Not alone
I met many more blind children at the centre. Before that I thought I was the only one who had had a hard life. Now I was meeting lots of people with similar problems, and that helped me realise I was not alone. We played, danced and sang together. At the centre I learned to wash clothes and dishes, clean up, wash myself and take care of younger children. I learned some basic cooking skills, and how to serve others.
   All of a sudden, I was not this worthless person who couldn’t do anything because I was blind. I became more like an ordinary person again. At the same time I started attending Manuel’s school. I learned to read, write and count by learning braille. It felt fantastic, and I was so happy!

Home again
After a couple of months, Manuel explained that his organisation AGRICE had helped to make changes to a school in my hometown, so that blind children could attend alongside all the other students. Their work included training teachers to use braille. He also told me that he had visited my family and prepared them for me to move back home. Although I was happy at Manuel’s centre, I wanted to go back to my family. I missed everyone.
   Now I’ve been back home for almost a year. There is a lot of love in my family and I help out with almost all the housework. I feel like a real family member, participating and doing chores. And I’m getting on well at school! I’m settled in my class and I have lots of friends. It’s great to go to school with both blind children and children who can see. I think that those of us who have disabilities should be able to go to mainstream schools and live with our families. After all, we are part of society and we want to live alongside everyone else!
   In the future I want to do something significant, like become a teacher. After my time with Manuel, I think I could probably achieve just about anything!”