In Niger, equal opportunities for women and girls with disabilities benefits the whole community.

With a smile on her face, Oumal khayr Abdoussalam, 30, breastfeeds her young child. In addition to caring for her baby, Ms. Abdoussalam teaches religious sciences to 40 young girls and women in her neighbourhood.

She is a pillar of her community, but Ms. Abdoussalam says things could have turned out very differently if not for her family's unwavering support. Ms. Abdoussalam went blind at the age of 10 after contracting meningitis that was treated too late. When her father decided to enroll her in Koranic school, people discouraged him from doing so. "People used to ask my father: 'What is the advantage of taking your blind daughter to the makaranta (Koranic school)?' But my father did not listen to them,' she says.

People used to ask my father, What is the advantage of taking your blind daughter to the Koranic school?

Ms. Abdoussalam quickly distinguished herself and the teacher chose her as an assistant to teach others. Today, she continues to work as an educator and is glad that her community understands that her disability does not affect her capacity to do her job.

'Thanks to the support of the Spotlight Initiative, organizations have understood, through repeated awareness sessions, the importance of welcoming vulnerable people and people living with disabilities in their daily lives,' says Ms. Abdoussalam.

Women preachers are very popular in Niger as women find it easier to talk to them and unlike imams, they...