Nirosha’s journey: Overcoming disability discrimination

When her husband went to work overseas, life became even harder and her small sweets-making business took a hit. Without him, harmful rumours about her disability and her family life began to circulate. Some questioned her character and even her extended family distanced themselves.

People looked at me differently,” Nirosha recalls. “Because of my disability and because my husband was away, they treated me with suspicion. I felt invisible.”

The constant gossip and judgment took a toll. She withdrew from social life, closed her small business and focused on surviving day-to-day with her four children. “I stopped believing I could stand on my own,” she laments.

Her turning point came when a Women Development Officer noticed her struggles and invited her to join a UN Women project, implemented with the support of the Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD). Through the “Power Walk” activity, business-planning sessions, family camps and the poster-based discussion series, Nirosha began rebuilding her confidence and self-worth.

“For the first time in years, I felt proud of myself,” she says. “I realized that my disability does not define me. I have the skills and the strength to move forward.”

Although her husband remained abroad, she says his emotional support – and the encouragement of her children – helped her stay motivated: “My children became my biggest inspiration. I wanted to show them that their mother could be strong.”

Before joining the programme, Nirosha was often excluded from family events and community gatherings – discriminated against for being a woman living without her husband and for her disability. But within the group of 43 women participants, she found something she’d long been denied: belonging.

“For the first time, I was seen as an equal,” she says. “I made friends, shared my story and learned that I wasn’t alone.”

With her renewed confidence, Nirosha restarted her sweets-making business. This time, the response from her community was different. People began to approach her for guidance and support. “Those who once avoided me now come to me for advice,” she says with a smile. “It feels good to be respected again.”

Today, her small business is growing steadily and she is determined to ensure her children receive a good education: “Pursuing my dreams, supporting my children’s education and contributing to village life have given me strength. Your training helped me become mentally strong. Now I move forward without fear.”

Why inclusion matters

Nirosha serves as a powerful example of the women trained under the UN Women project Pathways to Peace. “Nirosha’s story reminds us that disability is not inability. What limits women are not their bodies but the social barriers that isolate them. Inclusion must begin in our homes and communities”, says FISD Programme Director Samitha Sugathimala.

Nirosha’s journey highlights how gender-transformative training helps women reclaim their self-worth and agency, says Ramaaya Salgado, UN Women Sri Lanka Head of Office: “Empowerment means ensuring every woman, regardless of ability or circumstance, can participate fully and safely. When we build inclusive systems, we create communities where everyone thrives.”

As the world observes the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Nirosha’s journey serves as a call to action – to challenge stigma, embrace inclusion and ensure no one is left behind. Because ending gender-based violence means ending exclusion. When every voice is heard and every woman is valued, entire communities thrive.