From lived experience to lasting change: reflections from a Ripple Effect trustee

Approx. 5 min read 

By Lydia Abenaitwe, Ripple Effect Uganda Trustee 

I was nine months old when I contracted polio, which left my left leg paralysed from the hip. 

I grew up in rural western Uganda, where poverty was widespread. At the time, expectations for children with disabilities were often low. I faced negative attitudes within my community, while many of the services and systems around me, including schools and healthcare facilities, were not equipped to meet my needs. 

My parents made an enormous difference. They believed in me and supported my education, even when the opportunities available to me were limited. 

As I grew older, I continued to face discrimination, particularly when looking for employment. I became increasingly aware of how often other people made assumptions about what those of us with disabilities could achieve and contribute. 

I went on to complete a bachelor's degree in Social Work and Social Administration, followed by a master's degree in Human Resource Management. 

Later in my career, I began focusing more specifically on disability inclusion, drawing on my own experiences and my commitment to improving opportunities for people with disabilities. 

Since then, I have worked with employers to improve accessibility and supported people with disabilities to find employment or develop businesses. Some have gone on to secure promotions, while others are now running their own businesses. 

My connection with Ripple Effect began in 2019 through my work at Light for the World, where I was responsible for partnership management and coordinating disability advisory services. 

Part of my role was supporting organisations to make their workplaces and programmes more inclusive. With Ripple Effect's Uganda team, I helped deliver disability awareness training, which led to practical changes, including accessibility assessments of offices and internship opportunities for graduates with disabilities. 

In 2023, I joined Ripple Effect Uganda's Programmes and Resource Mobilisation Committee as a Disability Inclusion Advisor. In July 2026, I became a Board member, joining the Programmes, Resource Mobilisation and Safeguarding Committee. 

Having grown up in rural Uganda, I know first-hand how poverty and hunger affect families. I also understand how disability can make these challenges harder, particularly when people are excluded from opportunities to earn an income. 

This is why Ripple Effect's mission means so much to me. Its focus on helping farming families improve their livelihoods through knowledge and resource sharing connects closely with my own experiences and the work I have dedicated my career to. 

As a trustee, I want to help Ripple Effect continue making its work with farming families accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring that their experiences and needs are considered in how programmes are planned and delivered. 

During a recent visit to Ripple Effect projects in Uganda, I had the opportunity to see how participants were putting their training into practice. 

I had already read about the organisation's programmes and results, but meeting project participants helped me understand the changes taking place in their communities. 

I met people who had developed businesses through Ripple Effect's enterprise development programmes. Some had expanded their businesses and were now providing employment for others. 

I was also encouraged to hear participants speak about how they were supporting people with disabilities in their communities. They recognised that people had different needs and were making efforts to include them in economic activities. 

The role of Ripple Effect's community facilitators was another important part of what I learned. Participants spoke about how facilitators had listened to their circumstances and helped them find ways to apply what they had learned. 

What stood out to me was how this support was helping people use their skills in ways that suited their circumstances.

One of the people whose experience touched me most was Mercy. 

Before joining Ripple Effect's programme, Mercy had been living in an abusive marriage. She was raising her children in difficult circumstances and had limited opportunities to support them financially. 

Through Ripple Effect's training, she developed an idea for a business. 

She started small, but the business has grown considerably. Today, Mercy employs more than 15 people and has been able to improve her family's living conditions. 

She has also shared her knowledge with others who want to develop businesses of their own. 

What mattered to me was hearing how her growing financial independence had helped her leave an abusive marriage and provide a safer home for her children. 

When I met Mercy, she was already making plans to expand her business further. 

I was deeply moved by Mercy's determination. Although Mercy does not have a disability, her experience showed me why Ripple Effect's work matters to people facing different barriers to earning a living. 

During my visit, Ripple Effect's staff and Board members also had an opportunity to understand my accessibility needs. Travelling to different locations can be challenging when facilities have not been designed with people with disabilities in mind. 

The team made adjustments so I could take part in the activities. This led to conversations about how future visits could be made more accessible. Having worked in disability inclusion for many years, I know how much can be learned by listening to someone who experiences these barriers. 

I value Ripple Effect's willingness to learn from these experiences. It is something I hope to build on through my role as a trustee, alongside our wider work on gender equality and social inclusion. 

There is a saying I often return to: 

“It's the wearer of the shoe that knows where the pebble is, how it hurts and how best to remove or re-use it.” 

Throughout my career, I have seen how the needs of people with disabilities can be overlooked when decisions are made without their involvement. 

As a Ripple Effect trustee, I want to bring this perspective into our work by asking: 

• Are people with disabilities able to take part in our projects? 
• What barriers might prevent them from participating? 
• Have we involved them in decisions about the support they receive? 

The disability rights movement has long used the principle “Nothing about us without us.” I want to see Ripple Effect continue to put this principle into practice, ensuring that people with disabilities have a voice in the decisions that affect them. 

I also hope my appointment encourages young people with disabilities to consider leadership roles themselves.

My visit showed me how Ripple Effect's work is helping farming families build sustainable businesses and create opportunities for others in their communities. 

As a trustee, I want to use my experience to help strengthen disability inclusion across Ripple Effect's programmes. I hope to contribute to decisions that ensure people with disabilities have a voice and can benefit from the opportunities available to them.