Joy - Chance for Childhood

Double the joy, double the hope

How your support has turned life around for teenager Joy in Rwanda.

Like any other teenager, Joy wants to see her friends, do well in school, and work towards her dream career. But in the rural community where she lives in Rwanda, daily life is hard.

Like many families around them, her parents work tirelessly to provide for the family (Joy lives with her four siblings). But small‑scale farming and occasional wage labour are their only sources of income, which means the family is stretched. For Joy, who lives with a physical disability, these challenges are multiplied. She relies on prosthetic legs that need replacing roughly every two years. When the family cannot secure her new ones, Joy often has no choice but to crawl on the ground to get around. This causes her pain, limits her independence, and makes it nearly impossible for her to attend school or socialise.

Barriers to education

Joy wants to spend time with her friends and be a part of school life, but she faces a long walk to school, around two hours on foot, which leaves her exhausted before lessons even begin. The difficult journey often means she is late to school, and she is often left out of play and physical activities because of her disability. Beyond her education, these challenges also affect her confidence, her friendships, and her sense of belonging with others her age.

Challenges at home

Life at home brings its own set of difficulties. The family home doesn’t have electricity, making it hard for Joy to study or move around safely after dark. Outside their house, the uneven, rocky terrain in the surrounding area makes it difficult for her to move around, and the lack of accessible pathways limits her independence.

How your support has transformed Joy’s life

Despite these challenges, Joy’s story is one of hope. With your support, we’re helping her to reach her potential. Her new prosthesis mean she’s attending school regularly with minimal challenges, and working towards her goal of becoming a doctor or lab technician. At home, a small disability grant we provided has been a lifeline for Joy and her family. They have been able to meet Joy’s basic needs such as buying clothes, and rent a small piece of land for farming, helping the family grow food. Joy’s family now raises two hens and a pig, purchased through the grant.

Construction of an inclusive latrine at the family’s home also helps Joy go to the toilet safely and with dignity, and improving hygiene for the whole family. These small but powerful investments are helping the family build stability and a more secure future for Joy.

Be part of change

Joy’s story shows just how powerful the right support can be. When we ensure a child has the tools to move safely, learn confidently and live with dignity, their entire world begins to open up. With targeted community‑based support, provision of assistive devices and disability grants for families, young people like Joy can grow up to reach their potential.