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A Life’s Work
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Two Rwandan Men Redefine Disability Through Sports and Art
February 12, 2025
KIGALI, Rwanda — Deaf since childhood, Jean Marie Furaha loved playing sports and helping with tasks around the house. When he was in his late 30s, his eyesight began to falter. Blindness came on slowly, and by age 40, he had lost his sight entirely, isolating Furaha and leaving him uncertain about his future. Though he could no longer see or hear, his body remembered the joy of running, jumping, and playing on the field.
“With the unwavering support of my family, I began to rebuild my life,” says Furaha, who was born in Burundi before arriving in Rwanda after the genocide against the Tutsi. He began to learn Braille and tactile sign language, which uses touch to communicate, so he could navigate his new world. A Catholic-run school for Deaf students in Kigali invited him to assist with their physical education program, and he developed creative coaching methods like using touch signals and guided movements to train students.
“I am a full-time sports coach at the school, mentoring students with and without disabilities,” Furaha explains. “My unique approach to coaching not only improves their physical skills but also teaches them valuable lessons in perseverance and teamwork.”
Pressing clothes and stitching buttons became Furaha’s second profession, one that he approached with the same dedication as coaching. “Many thought that I [could not] do such a job, but I continue to break barriers,” he says.
According to a 2023 report from the United Nations Development Programme, more than 446,000 people in Rwanda – about 3 percent of the country – live with disabilities. A 2019 report funded by the UK government found that working-age persons with disabilities in Rwanda face significant barriers to employment. While 52 percent of people with disabilities were employed, the employment rate among non-disabled adults was 71 percent.
Even within the most economically active age groups, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities is just over 70 percent, compared to 90 percent for those without disabilities. These disparities make stories like Furaha’s – and those of other disabled Rwandans who find employment – all the more rare.
His Imagination Knows No Limits
Born in Kigali, Jean de Dieu Uwikunda grew up with a deep love of art. He built a family and found work at a car dealer in Kigali, where he would paint and repair vehicles. But when he lost his sight following a stroke, Uwikunda struggled to imagine how he could keep working. He contemplated ending his life, but after visiting a resource center for the blind, he found a way forward. “They empowered me to continue doing art regardless of the impairment,” he says.
Uwikunda began exploring art in ways he had never considered before. “Today, I use my right eye during the night by taking a torch [and] pointing it at the object I want to draw like a photo,” he says. “As I cannot see the colors I differentiate them by their smells. I know every color’s smell.”
Drawing is not just a job for Uwikunda, although selling his art is his primary source of income. It is his passion and a source of immense pleasure. Every time he sits down to draw, he enters a world where his imagination knows no limits. He finds fulfillment not only in creating but in the positive feedback he receives, knowing his art resonates with others. This recognition motivates him to continue, showing that blindness is not a barrier to creativity.
Francine Uwayisaba is a field officer at the Rwanda Union of Little People (RULP), in charge of the organization’s communications. She writes grants, manages RULP’s social media, and composes articles and weekly updates for its website.
Editing assistance by Ryan Di Corpo and Jody Santos
News From the Global Frontlines of Disability Justice
A Life’s Work
After losing his sight, artist Jean de Dieu Uwikunda found new ways to create, using a flashlight at night to outline objects and distinguishing colors by their scents. His story, along with that of DeafBlind sports coach Jean Marie Furaha, is rare in Rwanda. While over 446,000 Rwandans have disabilities, a 2019 study found that only 52 percent of working-age disabled adults were employed, compared to 71 percent of their non-disabled counterparts.
‘I Won’t Give Up My Rights Anymore’
After a life-altering accident, Lakshmi Lohar spent years in isolation, struggling with fear and stigma in her rural Nepalese community. In 2023, she found a lifeline through KOSHISH National Mental Health Self-Help Organization, which helped her develop social connections and access vocational training in tailoring. Today, Lakshmi is reclaiming her independence, standing up for her rights, and shaping a future beyond the limitations once placed on her. ““I won’t give up my rights anymore,” she says, “just like I learned in the meetings.”
Rwanda’s Marburg Crisis
As Rwanda confronts its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak, people with disabilities face heightened risks — not only from the virus but also from the lack of accessible health information. “Without proper accommodations, such as sign language interpreters, captions, Braille, or visual aids, the Deaf and DeafBlind community may miss crucial information about how to protect themselves, symptoms to watch for, or where to seek help in case of infection,” says Joseph Musabyimana, executive director of the Rwanda Organization of Persons with Deaf Blindness.
Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch
Last summer, the DJP trained Indigenous activists with disabilities from the Pacific on the iPhone camera to create a documentary series on disability and climate change. With VoiceOver, the iPhone provides image descriptions for blind and low-vision filmmakers and offers other accessible features. “If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a blind person to use a camera,” says DJP filmmaker Ari Hazelman. “The iPhone gives you more avenues to tell your story in a more profound way as a blind person.”
Work for All
The We Can Work program equips young Rwandans with disabilities to navigate barriers to employment through education, vocational training, and soft skills development. By fostering inclusive workplaces and advocating for policy changes, the program aims to reduce poverty and promote economic independence. Participants like Alliance Ukwishaka are optimistic that the program will enable them to achieve their dreams and showcase their potential. The initiative is part of a larger effort to support 30 million disabled youth across seven African countries.
Global Recognition
Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo’s film “Dramatic Waves of Change” has been named a finalist in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival. The film, completed during a Disability Justice Project workshop in Samoa, highlights the impact of climate change on people with disabilities in Kiribati. Utumapu-Utailesolo, who is blind, used an iPhone with accessibility features to create the film. “Do not leave people with disabilities behind when [you] plan, implement, and monitor programs regarding climate change and disaster,” she says. Her achievement is a testament to the power of inclusive filmmaking.