EQS News: Education cannot wait / Keyword(s): Other/Miscellaneous

Urielle has a bright future ahead of her

12/30/2025 / 8:25 p.m. CET/CEST
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Funded by Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF training centers for visually impaired children enable children in the Central African Republic to reach their full potential.

BANGUI, Central African Republic, December 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Uriel is sitting in a classroom, absorbed in her reading. Her fingers trace the intricate pattern of raised dots on the paper in front of her.

“I lost my sight at the age of three, but that didn’t stop me. From a young age, my parents taught me to be independent and self-sufficient, to work hard and to pursue my dreams,” explains Urielle.

Despite the challenges she has faced in her life, the 20-year-old has always been actively supported by her parents and teachers. Armed with this knowledge, her passion for learning and storytelling and her determination, Urielle is taking her future into her own hands.

Since she was born in her hometown of Bangui UNICEF At a supported training center for visually impaired children, Urielle and other visually impaired children and young people learn to read Braille and gain access to education – often for the first time.

This center is one of three centers run by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) are financed in the capital Bangui. It was created to provide tailored learning opportunities for visually impaired girls and boys in the Central African Republic. These centers help pupils to acquire braille and literacy skills, achieve good levels of proficiency in line with the national curriculum and support them to subsequently attend mainstream school.

Every morning, a special school tuk-tuk stops in front of Urielle’s house and takes her to the training center. Classes are taught by visually impaired teachers, supported by sighted teachers and using teaching materials in Braille.

The center follows the standard curriculum of the Ministry of National Education. Here, Urielle also learned to read and write in Braille. These crucial skills sparked a new passion. “I love sharing stories with people, especially about social issues. My favorite subject is social studies, because I love learning how people around the world live, interact with each other and deal with challenges,” says the teenager.

Even though Urielle is now doing well in school, the path to her education was not easy in a society where people with disabilities are still stigmatized. Urielle recalls: “Some neighbors and even relatives told me that I was useless and better suited to household chores than to school. But thanks to the unwavering support of my parents, I learned to ignore these voices.”

Urielle understands the power of education to broaden her horizons and shape the future she wants for herself. “The more I learn, the more stories unfold in my head. That’s why I’m determined to become a journalist,” she says.

The center also organizes vocational training courses to develop skills. Former students have used these new skills to find employment and some have even entered the civil service.

The Central African Republic is one of the toughest places in the world to be a child. Conflict, violence, displacement and natural disasters continue to weigh heavily on the country. Years of instability have contributed to a near shutdown of already limited public services, resulting in very limited, if any, access to education in many parts of the country. Where there are schools, there is often a lack of qualified and trained teachers, learning materials and solid building structures.

For people with disabilities, like Urielle, the situation is even more difficult. Stigma and prejudice against children with special needs remains pervasive and often leads families to hide their children with disabilities and deny them access to peers and the broader community, including schools. Fortunately, Urielle’s parents recognized their daughter’s infinite potential.

As the global fund for education in long-term emergencies and crises within the United Nations, ECW has supported partners such as UNICEF in the Central African Republic since 2017. ECW funds programs aimed at improving access to quality education in a protected learning environment, strengthening national and local education systems, supporting teachers, and specifically supporting girls and children with disabilities.

Today is happening Uriel no longer content with simply being an excellent student. “I also want to become a Paralympic athlete. I train to run long distances three times a week,” she says.

Until then, Urielle wants to continue learning and telling stories to inspire those around her. She says with a big smile: “Telling stories is my passion. I know that the road is long and that I still have at least six years before university. But one day I will have my own radio show!

Their ambition knows no bounds and their achievements are a testament to the potential of all children when given the education, resources and support they need to thrive.

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