Before I realized I was HIV positive, I didn't know that my husband was also carrying the virus. He kept falling sick. We thought it was malaria or just a cough. At the time, we didn’t know about HIV. He died in 2005. Several years later I also started to get sick. I was having stomach pains and headaches. Then one of my sons died of HIV/AIDS. That's when I decided to go and get tested at the clinic. 


It’s not easy losing a husband and being left HIV positive. My extended family laughed at me, saying that my husband had left me with nothing and it served me right for having had so many children year after year. It was a really bad time and I worried how I would provide for my children.

My mother passed away shortly afterwards, and she left me her little house.  Before she died she told me I would need to fight for my own future. Her house is what helped me to survive. I rented a room out, and I also started a business selling second-hand clothes and charcoal. Here in our country you can’t do without charcoal. Everyone uses it.

It’s not easy losing a husband and being left HIV positive. 

Through a friend, I also heard about an opportunity to volunteer at the local medical clinic as a child health promoter. I started working there a few times a week and they provided me with some financial support. 

There, I met other women who had lost their husbands to the same virus. The clinic encouraged us to form a support group called Musayope, which means ‘do not fear’. Eventually, the sister in charge at the clinic suggested we create support groups in our own communities to persuade others to join and help them overcome the stigma associated with HIV.

At the time, people were saying that HIV-positive people should not share a cup or spoon. They thought that maybe the virus was passed through sharing the same blanket or eating the same food. I realized I didn’t want other people in my community to go through what I went through.

It makes a difference when our Twafwilishanye HIV community support group meets. We teach one another that even if you are sick, that’s not the end of you. (2024)

I started a community support group called Twafwilishanye, which means ‘let’s help each other’. We bring people together and encourage them to get tested before they feel sick. It is better to do this early and take the antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication straight away. We teach one another that even if you are sick, that’s not the end of you. 

I have become an example for them – how I’d been in the past and how I was after I was diagnosed and started taking the medication. They see now that I am healthy, I am working, I am eating. I am able to take my children to school. That’s why they come for support. People say, “Ah, you can be just like Regina – she’s able to do everything on her own.” 

I have become an example for others in our HIV support group. They see that I am healthy and I am working.

When we started over 15 years ago there were 10 of us in the Twafwilishanye group. Now we have reached 40 to 50 members. It makes a difference when you meet and you share ideas or problems. We encourage one another to take our medication on time. 

We also make small financial contributions to the group to help each other in times of need. Recently, when one of our members fell sick and was admitted to hospital, we met her transport costs and provided food for her family while she was hospitalized.

Funds from the ILO through the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS helped me buy the necessary equipment and start a hair salon. My clients are happy with my work. (2024)

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, like everyone else my business was badly affected. 

Then people from the International Labour Organization (ILO) came to our community group and told us they were going to help us. They provided us with funds through the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS to boost our businesses. They also provided three of us from the group with business training and afterwards we shared what we learned with other group members. We learned how to run a business, as well as how to budget and expand our businesses. 

After receiving the money, I bought more second-hand clothes and charcoal and began selling cornmeal. I even got a passport and went to Botswana to purchase quality blankets, which I sold to a local guesthouse and later to South Africa to buy school uniforms for resale. Then, after the money multiplied, I decided to open a hair salon. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and am constantly looking for new opportunities – I think I got this from my father who was also an entrepreneur!

I recently participated at an ILO training to promote voluntary HIV counselling and testing at work (VCT@WORK) to people in my community. (2024)

Recently, the ILO invited me to train and become a community champion to help counsel people in informal and formal workplaces about HIV. I also distribute HIV self-tests.

My aim is to convince others to get tested. I say to them that when you are tested, you know where you stand, and you can determine a way forward. What’s important is to share this information and then listen. 

Like I do with the support group, I use myself as an example. For instance, people think you can’t be on ART medication and travel. But I show others it’s possible. I take extra supplies with me, I never miss the scheduled time to take the treatment, and this has made me strong. Even my complexion is smooth – people don’t believe me when I say I am 60 years old!

Through my own experience, I have seen how having an income and running a successful business increases people’s respect and reduces HIV stigma and discrimination.

When you have a low economic status, people generally don’t respect you. And having HIV makes it worse. Through my own experience, I have seen how having an income and running a successful business increases people’s respect and reduces HIV stigma and discrimination. 

I am proud of what I have achieved and of becoming a champion in my community to support people living with HIV. In the future, I hope to open an orphanage for children living with HIV and who are having ART treatment. 

I am proud of being a champion in my community to reduce HIV stigma and discrimination. (2024)

In Zambia, the ILO has pioneered an economic empowerment initiative aimed at building the resilience of people living with HIV against COVID-19 and future pandemics.

The programme is implemented with financial support from UNAIDS, in partnership with the Network of Zambian People Living With HIV, the National AIDS Council, and the Employers' Federation of Zambia.

The ILO is part of The Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate All Forms of HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination.

The partnership aims to eliminate stigmatising and discriminatory practices, policies and laws across six settings, including the workplace.

Stigma and discrimination continue to persist in the world of work – according to a 2020 survey undertaken by the ILO, four in ten people said that people living with HIV should not be allowed to work directly with others.

This year is the tenth anniversary of Zero Discrimination Day, which is commemorated on 1 March and initiated by UNAIDS.

ILO good practices: People living with HIV getting back to business in Zambia

The Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate All Forms of HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination 

The ILO Global HIV Discrimination in the World of Work survey 

COVID-19 and the world of work: A focus on people living with HIV

VCT@WORK: Voluntary, confidential HIV counselling and testing for workers

Sixty-year old Regina Katungu Chileshe is an entrepreneur living with HIV in Zambia. She is a member of an HIV support group that works to overcome stigma in the community, thanks to an income generation project supported by the International Labour Organization and UNAIDS.

Having an income reduces HIV stigma and discrimination

When multiple earthquakes hit Türkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023, I was determined to help survivors with their mental health through my platform Peace Therapist. I know first-hand what it is to experience trauma. I was 16 when my family fled the war in Syria and became refugees in Türkiye. 

I grew up in Raqqa city in Syria. When the war started, we had no idea how bad things would get. 

One night ten years ago, planes dropped a bomb on a building 200 metres from our house. Within 10 minutes we were in the car in our pyjamas. My father drove at full speed to get us out. 

We crossed the Turkish border and received news that our house and those of our neighbours and relatives had been destroyed.

My work with earthquake survivors in Türkiye gives me purpose

I thought we were safe because we had left Syria, but although the war was over on the outside, I soon realised a war had just begun inside of me. I had psychological problems, and I wasn’t able to leave the house for a whole year.

My family was a huge support. As I slowly recovered from this horrific experience, I started to see my surroundings in a different way. I realised that hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of refugees like me were also experiencing difficulties.

My family on our first day in Türkiye after we fled our home in Raqqa, Syria. I am on the right. I was relieved that we were safe, but the war had also left me traumatised. (2014)

I was looking for a way to re-connect with life and I decided to continue my education. I went to university and studied computer engineering. I also took courses in entrepreneurship.  

At the first training, the instructor explained what entrepreneurship was for and how you create a project that makes people’s lives easier. It was while he was explaining this that I dreamed up Peace Therapist.

Peace Therapist is an online platform and social enterprise that matches psychologists with people who need psychological support. I run it with a small team and have a database of over 100 psychologists. (2023)

Peace Therapist is an online platform which I designed, built and now run. It matches psychologists with those who need psychological support.  

I was only in my second year at university when I set it up. Many people tried to dissuade me. They said it wouldn’t be possible because I was a woman and a refugee.“You don’t even speak Turkish,” they said. “You can’t do it.” But I carried on with my plan and today Peace Therapist is an award-winning social enterprise.

I wanted to focus on the problems that Syrian refugees face. Peace Therapist is the first platform in Türkiye to also provide therapy in Arabic. 

We evaluate people according to the psychological expertise they need, providing both individual and group therapy.  

The services are available in people’s native languages, including Arabic, English, Kurdish and Turkish. I wanted to focus on the problems that refugees face, and we are the first platform in Türkiye to also provide therapy in Arabic. 

The earthquakes on February 6, 2023, were devastating. More than 50,000 people were killed and around 107,000 were injured. We immediately began to provide emergency psychological aid to people in the earthquake zone. (2023)

When the earthquakes struck, we understood the magnitude of the event because we ourselves at Peace Therapist were based in the area where they took place. From the very first day, we opened all our services free of charge with a team of volunteer psychologists.

Then, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), we were able to reach even more people, including by telephone and remotely via the platform. This was important because many people had lost their homes and they needed an easy way to reach us. Between March and December Peace Therapist provided psychosocial support to 3445 people. 

Over half of our clients are Syrian refugees. Many have not yet overcome the trauma of war let alone the trauma from the earthquake, and they have needed extra therapy sessions.

We want to provide psychological therapy to as many earthquake survivors as we can. (2023)

In this part of the world psychological therapy can be considered shameful. We put a lot of thought into how we approach people, so they are less fearful of reaching out for help. 

We never describe someone as a patient who is sick, we simply call them a client. Some of our group therapies are re-branded as self-confidence and awareness-raising training. People can also obtain therapy anonymously, which has appealed to women refugees in particular. 

We also reach people by running seminars, workshops, and different social activities, including sharing job openings on a Whatsapp group called “Peace Therapist Opportunities”.

One of our clients, who is a refugee, had a phobia of going out in public and it was preventing him from finding employment. After nine therapy sessions, and through volunteering work which helped him regain his self-confidence, he found a job. 

My goal is to work for peace and create solutions to conflicts. We know that nearly 1 in 4 refugees worldwide who have experienced war have psychological problems. If we help them improve their lives and gain self-confidence, we will increase social cohesion between refugees and host communities.

When we started our cooperation with the ILO, there was a 34-year-old refugee man, whom I remember in particular. He had a phobia of going out in public and it was preventing him from finding employment. After nine therapy sessions, and through volunteering work which helped him regain his self-confidence, he found a job. He told us afterwards that he wished he had come to therapy sooner and that “I feel like I’m meeting myself again.”

When I look back at my 16-year-old self, a young refugee traumatized by the war in Syria, I know a platform like Peace Therapist could have helped me and that’s what motivates me now. If we have the chance to change the life of even one person, then that is enough for me.

Described as “one of the biggest natural disasters of our times”, the multiple earthquakes which struck Türkiye and northern Syria on 6 February 2023 resulted in the death and injury of tens of thousands of people and caused extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. 

Over 14 million people in Türkiye were affected, including more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees. 

The ILO Office for Türkiye quickly transferred and repurposed its funds to support the labour market and businesses in the earthquake zone. 

This included providing emergency aid supplies, creating safe spaces for women and children to receive support, and making containers available to be used as offices and housing for Turkish Employment Agency staff.

The ILO has also given psychosocial support to earthquake survivors, in collaboration with the Pikolo Association, Genç Hayat Foundation, and Peace Therapist.

In 2023, Peace Therapist collaborated with the ILO project “Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens”, in partnership with the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW Development Bank.

Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens Project

ILO response to the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

Op-ed from the ILO Country Office Director in Türkiye

ILO’s Refugee Response Programme in Türkiye 

When multiple earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023, Jin Dawod set to work matching survivors with therapists through her platform Peace Therapist. A Syrian refugee living in Türkiye, she knows first-hand how critical psycho-social support is to help people recover from trauma.

When the war started in Ukraine, my husband decided to volunteer with the armed forces. The hardest part was to devise a ‘plan B’ for my life in case he died. 

The war changed people and their businesses. What had been planned in January 2022, became utterly irrelevant by April, even March. 

During the first two weeks, everything was suspended. We were so quiet, frozen I guess. I remember my husband calling me a week after the war started and saying, “Oh my God, I found a coffee shop where they make coffee!” because everything was closed. And of course, a lot of people also left.

Then slowly we started to recover and to think about what we should do next so that we could keep my husband’s business operating. 

My husband and I decided I would take over the management of his business while he volunteered with the armed forces. (2023)

My husband and I discussed and planned everything together. We agreed I would manage his business while he was away. 

His company provides Ukrainian farmers with high-quality seeds, planting material and plant protection products.

I had to deal with everything. It was scary, risky and an enormous responsibility. Initially we lived on savings. No one knew if the banking system would continue to work. Everyone was waiting for it to collapse, but it held up. This is one of the factors that helped us to survive. 

The biggest challenge with the full-scale invasion was its impact on farmers’ work in the eastern part and some central parts of Ukraine. Partners’ and clients’ fields were mined. Some were unable to begin work; others started much later. Some relocated to other regions and cooperated with other businesses. 

We couldn't stay silent or take anything for granted. We communicated with all our partners, extended contracts with many of them and shared the losses.

For many years I took entrepreneurship training. I also dreamed of becoming a trainer myself and in 2019 this dream came true. (2023)

Fortunately, I already had 11 years of managerial and entrepreneurial experience. I had run my own business providing custom tailoring and making ready-made garments, which I operated until the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What has also helped to sustain me is my other job as a certified trainer of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) training programme. 

I took part in the ILO entrepreneurship training as a trainee back in 2011. I used to look at the trainers and think “Wow!” and I dreamed of becoming a trainer myself. In 2019 when the recruitment opportunity was announced, I applied.

At the training I felt a little scared and intimidated. I had no training as a teacher, but I felt my practical entrepreneurial experience would give me an advantage.

I obtained my certification, and now in addition to running the business, I also collaborate as a trainer with a non-governmental organization called GURT.

When the war started, we were sure that people wouldn’t be up to taking part in training. But after several weeks had passed, we started to receive demand after demand for online entrepreneurship training.

At the start of 2022, we had a lot of entrepreneurship training scheduled at GURT, which works in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO). But like everyone else we stopped our activities when the war started. We were sure that people wouldn’t be up to training. 

This was true at first. But after several weeks, we started to receive demand after demand for online entrepreneurship training and we set about providing this service.

Many people had lost their jobs, especially those who were evacuated from the most dangerous regions. They came to new places. They could live off their savings for a while. But then they started thinking, “Okay, I can live, maybe, for another three months on my savings, maybe six months, but what’s next?” They wanted to set up their own businesses but didn’t know where to start. 

We also saw more women, whose husbands had either been mobilized or had volunteered with the armed forces join the training. They were interested in starting a business, or, like me, were taking over their husband’s business and needed to learn new skills.

Even though at times we have to move to the air raid shelter, the training continues. (2023)

It's been remarkable to see the transformations that have taken place in our society, including how the approach to finding a business idea has changed. 

As my grandmother used to say, “Difficult conditions, whether it’s poverty or something else, push us to find solutions.”

Today, most people, especially those who have relocated, think about mobile businesses that they can pack into a suitcase in case they are displaced again. They are especially people whose businesses were destroyed by shelling, missiles or raids.

It’s a difficult time for Ukrainians. During the day the sun shines but at night there is shelling and fear. (2023)

It’s not an easy time to live through. Caring for your mental health has become a basic need. At night there is shelling, complete darkness, fear, and uncertainty, and in the morning, you wake up, see the sunshine, and think, “I can go have a coffee.” When this happens constantly, people will at some point experience a different and uncomfortable emotional state.

In our work at GURT, we also provide psychosocial support to those affected by the war. We are all very cautious because any one of us can experience a loss at any moment. Many acquaintances of mine have died. It’s very hard. Death has become more and more frequent in our lives.

It’s enormously rewarding to observe when people I have trained succeed with their start-ups and continue to develop. I can see the importance of what we are doing. 

I think the creation of micro-enterprises through self-employment has been crucial during these difficult times. 

I still live with my plan B, but doing my trainer work is hugely gratifying. It fills me with pride and helps me to not give up.

The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) trainings are implemented under the ILO project “Inclusive Labour Markets for Job Creation in Ukraine”, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

The trainings have been carried out in partnership with the non-governmental organization Gate into Ukrainian Civil Society (GURT). 

4,615 potential entrepreneurs were trained from 2019 to 2023, 69% were women and 31% were men. 

They include 170 women trained with additional funds from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and 402 women and men trained with funds from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).

The ILO has created a network of 75 certified SIYB trainers, including Alla Zhuravel.

High demand in 2022 for the ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) training continued into 2023, particularly among internally displaced persons (IDPs), veterans and people who lost their jobs due to the war. 

Inclusive labour markets for job creation in Ukraine

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) resources

Alla Zhuravel runs her husband’s business in Ukraine while he serves with the armed forces. She also teaches entrepreneurship skills to Ukrainians whose livelihoods have been affected by the ongoing war. It’s rewarding work and it helps to sustain her.

How entrepreneurship helps me stay resilient in Ukraine

When I was younger, I always felt I had to go into the unknown, sometimes alone. I had many fears because of this. Society has lower expectations from persons with disabilities, so to be noticed you need to be achieving greater things, otherwise no one considers you or thinks that you are able to do this or that. 

That’s why I was so competitive, getting the best grades, running a marathon, doing two master’s degrees, travelling to many countries.

I am visually impaired. I have light perceptions and can see if it’s dark, sunny or cloudy, as well as shadows. But I can’t see much more than that.

VIDEO WITH AUDIO DESCRIPTION FOR PERSONS WITH A VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Together we can make disability inclusion happen (audio description version)

Together we can make disability inclusion happen (version with captions)

I grew up in a Turkish family in France. I spent a lot of my childhood wanting to be like my brothers, to have my hair short, dress like them, climb trees and so on. 

When I was younger, I could see a bit more and until my first year of primary school I was in a regular class, learning how to read and write like others. Like many kids with disabilities, my needs were not considered and since we spoke Turkish at home, I also had to adapt to a French-speaking environment. 

When I finished first grade, I was told, okay, great, now you must restart everything but in braille. So, I had to work twice as hard as the other kids, including learning how to use assistive devices, like screen readers. 

As I approached adulthood, my big dream was to go to university and study law, which is what I did. It was very important for me to understand how the world worked, how the rules were made and why we can or cannot do certain things.

I always had a strong sense of justice. I could never stay silent when there was something happening that I felt was unfair.

When I was 24 I ran the New York Marathon, guided by a sighted runner. Preparing for a marathon taught me perseverance. I learnt that to achieve some goals you need to be surrounded by great people. (2016)

I was the first member of my family to go to university, a step into the unknown. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I think in many countries people have a fixed idea of what persons with disabilities can or cannot do. 

For instance, they say blind people are good at giving massages or working at call centres. In France, many people who are visually impaired are physiotherapists, which is a great job but it’s not what I wanted to do. 

I remember my first day at university. I was a bit scared. I was waiting for my first class, which was constitutional law. I was alone. That’s when I met another student, who became one of my best friends.

We both wanted to travel and do some solidarity projects. She was French and Peruvian and it’s through her that I got involved in my first big trip. I went to Peru, where together we set up a project to raise funds and build a massage centre, run by persons who are visually impaired. Ten years later the project is still going. I’m very proud of that.

My degree also took me to Barcelona, where I learnt Spanish. After I graduated, with honours, I decided to look for an experience that could help me learn English, travel and do something useful. I volunteered at an animal shelter in Fiji, the farthest place I could go!

Despite speaking five languages, having two master’s degrees and having done internships and taken part in projects all over the world I still couldn’t find a formal job.

While I was in Fiji the country was transitioning to a more democratic form of governance and a big consultation with civil society was launched. I supported a local organization of persons with disabilities that drafted a proposal for the future constitution.  It was an amazing experience and my first encounter with the disability rights movement.

It made me realize that I wanted to work in human rights for international organizations. I completed two master’s degrees – international law in Geneva and international peace studies in Costa Rica. For the second master’s I did an internship in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. I ended up staying there for a year in order to study Arabic. 

When I returned, I passed the bar exam in France and officially became a lawyer. Yet, despite speaking five languages, having two master’s degrees and having done internships and taken part in projects all over the world I still couldn’t find a formal job.

I recently travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal. My life is all about exploring the unknown. I'm always intrigued about what will come next. (2022)

No employer will tell you, 'I will not select you because you have a disability.' However, when we see the statistics showing that there are so few people with disabilities in the world of work we can deduce that they are facing discrimination.

It's not necessarily direct discrimination. Applying for jobs was a nightmare because many job sites are not accessible to applicants who use screen readers.  

At job interviews I would often need to ask them to make changes to the interview process if it wasn’t accessible. For example, for one job I was asked to analyze a graphic, even though they knew that I had a visual impairment. I asked them, “How can I do this? The graphic isn’t accessible to me.” They told me not to worry and that I didn’t need to do it. You may think this was nice of them but I know that this prevented me from getting the job. 

It was very frustrating because I knew I had great skills. For a very long time, I felt that I needed to do ten times more to achieve the same as others, and that at the same time, society had lower expectations for persons with disabilities.

I’ve become more selective now about my goals and activities and only do what is really meaningful to me. If I need to convince others that I can do as well as another person, then there is already something wrong.

For a very long time, I felt that I needed to do ten times more to achieve the same as others, and that at the same time, society had lower expectations for persons with disabilities.

A former colleague from an internship suggested I become a freelancer. It would mean I wouldn’t need to go through any more unfriendly job application processes or have to convince others about my employability. 

I went ahead and created my  company in France. It took me half an hour. I did it on my birthday to give me luck and it worked! I got my first client that very day with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It was the best I could have dreamed for. After that, I didn’t take a break for two years, collaborating with many organizations  such as UNICEF, the International Disability Alliance, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Minority Rights Group.

Then two years ago I was hired by the International Labour Organization (ILO). I’m now the focal point for gender equality and disability inclusion in the PROSPECTS project. Its aim is to promote the inclusion of refugees in the world of work in the horn of Africa and the Middle East. 

Making sure an organization, a workplace, a project, is inclusive of everybody is such rewarding work. It forces you to take a step back, take an overview of the organizational structure and make recommendations that will improve everybody's life. What's better than this!

Earlier this year I spoke about gender equality and disability inclusion at the ILO’s International Women’s Day event. (2023)

My life has always been about exploring the unknown. In France there is an organization that created a system to enable a visually impaired person to pilot a plane. The system creates sounds that give you the indications you need to fly the plane.  

I remember going to my doctor to get a medical certificate to confirm I was fit to fly. He has always said yes to all my requests, signing certificates for skydiving, running a marathon and many more things. This time he was about to sign the paper when he suddenly stopped and said, “Sorry, but can you just take a minute to explain to me how this works?” I explained it to him and we started to laugh and laugh! 

Flying is great. You can go anywhere. It’s not like driving a car where there are so many obstacles. This doesn’t exist in the air. So, it’s a great sensation of freedom. I think it gave me wings!

I’ve always liked to do extreme things. Flying a plane gives me a great sensation of freedom. (2016)

I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t agree that disability inclusion is a good idea. But we need to go further and make it happen. It can start with listening to testimonies like mine and taking disability inclusion awareness training. That's great. But ultimately these things are not meaningful if you are not surrounded by persons with disabilities in your daily life.    

Globally, there are more than one billion people with disabilities, yet employment rates are low and many barriers to work still exist.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) promotes disability inclusion through the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN). 

GBDN consists of multinational enterprises, employers’ organizations, national business and disability networks, civil society organizations and academia.

It aims to create a global workforce culture that is respectful and welcoming of people with disabilities. 

On December 3, we celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities to raise awareness of disability issues and draw attention to the benefits of an inclusive and accessible society for all.

ILO Infostory: The win-win of disability inclusion

ILO Global Business and Disability Network

2023 International Day Of Persons With Disabilities

Partnership for improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities (PROSPECTS)

Güler Koca is a Human Rights lawyer and a diversity and inclusion expert. She speaks five languages, runs marathons and has learnt to fly a plane. Güler also has a visual impairment. She shares the story of her path towards job success.

Together we can make disability inclusion happen

I cannot imagine my life without work. I feel proud and happy that I am working and able to contribute to society. One of my main motivations for working is to be able to help other people.

I work as a senior packer at my family’s bakery business in the city of Vanadzor in Armenia. We produce 50 types of baked goods. I love my job.

Before starting this job, I worked at another place that makes souvenirs but it was hard for me because I can get tired easily. With my mother’s support I overcame these difficulties.

Work gives me my independence

When I started in first grade at school, there weren’t any other children with disabilities in my class. Some of the children made fun of me but I learned to stand up for myself and I gained the respect of the other children.

At the second school I attended my classmates helped me with things, like crossing the street or doing my homework. To show my appreciation, every Friday I brought some goods from our bakery and shared them with my classmates.

I still like to do this today. On every holiday I bring children goods from our bakery, especially around Christmas and New Year. 

I like to prepare and give baked goods to children, especially around the holidays. (2023)

I want to work, not so much for the money, but to be involved in society. I also like to do charity work. I want to share positive things with people and to make them feel happy. 

I like to do charity work. I want to share positive things with people and to make them feel happy. 

A few years ago, they were asking for donations to complete a memorial dedicated to a prominent Armenian called Andranik Ozanyan. I donated my savings to this project. I received a certificate of gratitude from the Governor of the Lori region. I also received a certificate of appreciation for providing food to children during charitable events and received a certificate of gratitude for helping the local preschool.

I have received many certificates for my charitable work. I also received a professional certificate for completing culinary classes. I was very interested and was actively involved in the classes. (2023)

My future plans are to open a café for people like me in Vanadzor. When we open our café, the proceeds will be donated to help children with Down syndrome with their education.

The most precious person to me is my sister. I want my sister to be the café manager. If the café business does well, I will expand my involvement in charity work. There are people in need that I can help.

The fact that I am working makes me more independent.

Work makes me a better person. As my co-workers will tell you, I am responsible and work hard. The fact that I am working makes me more independent. 

Work is God’s gift. One must work and take care of one’s family. Even if the salary is small, people should be proud that they work and earn money in an honest way.

With my mother’s support I have overcome many difficulties. (2023)

The International Labour Organization (ILO) promotes social justice and decent work for people with disabilities.

The ILO project "Promoting Implementation of Labour Rights in Armenia Together" is funded by the United States Department of Labor.

The project is assisting Armenia’s labour inspectorate, courts, and workers’ and employers’ organizations to improve the government’s enforcement and promotion of labour rights, including for persons with disabilities. 

Globally, people with disabilities make up an estimated one billion, or 15 per cent, of the world's population. About 80 per cent are of working age.

The ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) aims to create a global workforce culture that is respectful and welcoming of people with disabilities. 

The GBDN will host the "Disability in sustainability efforts: businesses leading the way" conference from 14-15 November 2023 at the ILO’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Promoting Implementation of Labour Rights in Armenia Together

Rafael Martirosyan has Down syndrome. He says his volunteer work and job at his family’s bakery business in Armenia give his life meaning. Rafael’s dream is to open a café that welcomes people with disabilities.

When I started out, my shea butter business was small. Being informal, we were missing out on opportunities, but through perseverance and patience I am formalizing my business and plan to trade on the international market. What’s driving me is my desire to support less privileged women in my community.

My motivation to help others comes from the lack of support I experienced during my childhood.

When I was little, I lived with my auntie. She was constantly moving from place to place. I missed a lot of schooling and fell behind with my studies. At home I worked as her housekeeper and lacked basic things such as a decent shelter, clothing and most of all, parental love. I was lucky to pull through and get to where I am today. 

Women have less access to resources and power. By undertaking this shea butter processing business, we seek to minimize the vulnerability of women, particularly single mothers.

I eventually was sent back to live with my mother and was able to complete my schooling. I decided to pursue vocational training and studied at the Institute of Fashion in Kumasi, Ghana. I then set up a small business making dresses for individual customers.  

I also trained as a teacher at Tamale Training College and eventually obtained a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Cape Coast. 

It was always difficult to pay my fees and for other basic needs. My dress-making business wasn’t making enough to cover my costs. I had noticed that it was difficult to obtain soap in Tamale. This inspired me to expand my business into making soap.

I still teach today. Running a business has always been my core interest but teaching has helped me meet some of my financial needs. It’s not easy but I need to do both teaching and the business to achieve my goals. 

Our shea butter production enterprise is entirely made up of women, with 237 workers who process the shea and 500 women who pick the shea nuts. (October 2023)

Initially, the soap business was profitable, but the price of imported vegetable oil – the main ingredient in soap – became too expensive and I had to look for an alternative. I decided to try using locally produced shea butter and it worked!  

This started my transition to shea butter production. Traditionally, it’s women who produce shea butter for household consumption, and women who pick the shea nuts on the farms. I began to mobilize the women and registered them as the Yumzaa Women’s Cooperative. This also helped maintain the quality of the shea butter. 

Zakaria Adama Lacera shares the challenges and rewards of formalizing her shea butter production and soap business in Ghana.

First-person perspectives on the world of work

From prison to a better life

I was put in prison for stealing vanilla. Now I’m working, I make cinder blocks and I have no reason to go back to jail.

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