Blind but not Disabled
Crosscutting youth platform connects local craftsman with broad network of clients
When Deoni was ten years old, he began to experience a loss of vision. His mother took him to several clinics, but no doctor could help him. Within four months, before his 11th birthday, Deoni was completely blind.
Now, Deoni is 27, and the only indicators of his blindness are the sunglasses he wears indoors and the infrequent pause in his step as he moves around his property. He has spent most of his life working to overcome his loss of vision, and the results show.
“I am motivated to work hard because I want to be treated like everyone else,” he said. “I don’t want to rely on anyone or be a burden. I just want to be treated normal.”
In 2006, a local church sponsored him to attend a school for the blind in Fianarantsoa, the high-elevation city far from his home. As a boy, he left his mother and the life he knew, and spent the next decade learning to survive as a child from a poor community with no eyesight and no safety net.
Ten years later, Deoni returned home with new skills and a new outlook on life. Motivated to support himself and his mother, Deoni opened a shop to sell the woven baskets he had learned to make at school. Using different colored fabric, a pair of scissors, and his hands and feet to hold, measure, cut, and weave, Deoni began to expand his collection of baskets and clients.
Sales were good, and customer feedback for his handcrafted baskets was even better, but in his rural community, access to market proved challenging.
Other setbacks emerged: one day, when Deoni was selling in his shop, a thief entered his house and stole all his cash earnings, a large sum he had been saving to buy a rice field and goats.
“I wanted to join because I like that the project is called ‘change.’ I want to change and improve my life like any other person would,” Deoni said.
His first opportunity came at a youth fair organized by FIOVANA, a gathering of 225 young entrepreneurs in the biggest city in his region.
“I was really happy to participate in the youth fair,” he said. “I made new friends there and they all treated me normal.” More than just a new group of friends, Deoni connected with a large network of clients.
“Because of that event, many people know me and my products. My story was even posted online, and now my network is extending. I have new clients reaching out to me and ordering from me.”
In addition to the fair, Deoni remains connected to his local youth association, where members give each other advice, microloans, and support. Most recently, the president of his association made the long trip to Manakara just to help Deoni restock his basket weaving supplies.
Now, there is nothing holding him back from his goals. Deoni has more clients, more supplies and inventory, and a growing reputation for high-quality baskets.
“According to my clients, my baskets are better than the others sold in the market, which are not well shaped, and allow things to fall out of the basket, like rice,” he said. “When they use my basket, there is no risk that anything will fall out.”
His expanded business has allowed for expansions elsewhere. He recently bought a second house to use as a rental property, and he also rents out his business space to other local entrepreneurs. The next step is to put his burgeoning savings into a bank, where it will be safe from thieves.
“I thank God for this gift,” he said. “Even though I am blind, I am still able to work. I am able to earn enough to support myself and my mother. I am very happy. I get to honor to all those who helped me along the way.”
