[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today marks International Women\u2019s Day, a day highlighting the achievements of women across the globe. Here at Islamic Relief, we\u2019re celebrating Rujina, an inspirational woman from Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
Living with a disability, Rujina was afraid to leave her home for fear she would be taunted by members of her community. Today, she has overcome her fears and is now a community leader and advocate for gender equality.<\/p>\n
A difficult start <\/strong><\/p>\n Rujina Akhter is from a small conservative rural village in Bangladesh. When she was just two years old, she suffered a high fever and lost feeling in both of her legs. She was then diagnosed with Polio.<\/p>\n \u201cMost disabled people in our society face social exclusion by their family and community\u2026students made fun of my condition, but I was lucky to have parents and teachers who cared for me\u201d, says Rujina.<\/p>\n With this support, and her hard work, Regina excelled in school and received an academic award for being the highest achiever in her school.<\/p>\n However, when she got to college, things became more difficult and she ended up leaving her course.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a dark time for me, I quickly became reluctant to step outside for fear of facing people who made fun of me and my condition, and sank into deep depression,<\/strong> she says.<\/p>\n A life changing opportunity <\/strong><\/p>\n Despite her difficulties, Rujina was determined to work towards a brighter future.<\/p>\n She successfully applied for a role to be a village motivator, as part of Islamic Relief\u2019s project to provide employment opportunities to women in the area, as well as promoting women\u2019s empowerment and economic development. As part of the project, Rujina also received training around leadership.<\/p>\n With her newly acquired skills and confidence, Ruijna was awarded the prestigious \u2018Joyeeta Award\u2019 by the Bangladeshi government, celebrating her tremendous contribution to women\u2019s education and empowerment.<\/p>\n \u201cAchieving the award has been my greatest achievement. Islamic Relief taught me that having a disability is not an obstacle for achieving one\u2019s dreams. If you are determined, sincere and work hard, you can achieve your goals. That is why I was able to make my parents proud.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Islamic Relief then continued to support Rujina, offering her a position as a community mobilise. In this role, she has the responsibility of managing six support groups for women and running awareness sessions around women\u2019s rights, and key issues such as gender-based violence and early forced marriage.<\/p>\n Rujina also went on to complete her studies, and has now attained a postgraduate degree.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is nice to see my daughter succeed despite her physical condition. She was determined that nothing will stop her\u2026I have never been more proud to be her parent, says Rujina\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWomen face many challenges in our society and being disabled exacerbates their situation even more\u2026my parents have given me the tools and I will continue to pursue my dream of becoming a qualified teacher who teaches the next generation of young girls and women to be self-sufficient and \u00a0become leaders,\u201d says Rujina.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rujina is one of many women across the world who have transformed their lives through our women\u2019s empowerment projects.\u00a0Females make up an astonishing 70% of the world\u2019s poor people\u00a0and we\u2019re helping to lift them out of poverty by supporting them to forge lasting livelihoods and financial self-reliance.<\/strong><\/p>\n