Empowerment Through Lived Experience

Distributes free white canes that meet international standards and are sized by age and height, along with state-of-the-art technology such as smartphones and laptops equipped with assistive software, to blind and visually impaired individuals globally. Completes approximately 23 such projects annually.

Supports empowerment initiatives for blind individuals, including providing uniforms and jerseys to the Austin Black Hawks, a local blind Beep Baseball team, to promote inclusion and confidence.

Establishes and operates assistive technology laboratories at educational institutions, including at Lahore College for Women University and Government College University Lahore, equipping them with desktop computers and adaptive technology to support the academic and vocational development of blind and visually impaired female and differently abled students.

Conducts outreach programs and provides education to parents of differently abled students through conferences, local events, and ongoing collaboration with educational institutions such as Government College University Lahore.

Conducts research on systemic barriers faced by visually impaired individuals in Pakistan, including the exclusion of visually impaired girls from the education system and challenges in the effective use of smartphones by blind citizens.

Provides funding and technology to support small businesses run by individuals with visual impairments and facilitates access to vocational training by providing necessary equipment such as computers designed for the blind.

Trains and supports girl researchers to conduct over 25,000 peer interviews across 8 countries in 25 languages using a mobile research platform that functions in low-connectivity areas and collects audio, video, and images to gather data from respondents of all literacy levels.

Uses the offline-capable Champions mobile app to equip facilitators in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria with session agendas, training materials, and multimedia resources to conduct community discussions on health, education, and economic empowerment. The app supports data collection, reporting, and pre- and post-session assessments in multiple local languages including Swahili, Amharic, Somali, and English.

Designs, creates, and evaluates initiatives that amplify youth voices, challenge gender norms, and create impact in health, education, and economic livelihoods through media, technology, and community engagement.

Operates a system that identifies sensitive disclosures from young people through digital platforms and connects them with emergency services and relevant support systems to ensure safety and access to care.

Conducted foundational research including the world’s first comprehensive study on adolescent girls’ mobile phone access and usage (“Real girls, real lives, connected”) with the Vodafone Foundation, and used peer-to-peer research methods with Oxfam and the Gates Foundation to generate insights about girls. Developed a Theory of Change centered on girls as active agents of transformation.

Mobilizes parents and caregivers in remote communities to ensure timely vaccination of children under two through community outreach and engagement efforts.

Operates AI chat companions in South Africa, Kenya, and India that answer young people's health questions and connect them to essential health services, having responded to over 35 million messages and questions. The platforms include voice hotlines, mobile apps, and media content tailored to adolescent girls and young women.

Provides essential health information and linkages to services covering immunization, mental health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, and early childhood development for adolescent girls and young women, with a focus on expanding access to HPV vaccines through community engagement and partnerships with government entities.

Supports adolescent girls and young women to overcome barriers to education and expand their perceived life possibilities, while equipping them with skills to identify and apply for secure, dignified employment, pursue entrepreneurship, and connect with mentors.

Provides support and resources to young parents and caregivers to practice responsive caregiving for their children, enhancing early childhood development outcomes.

Works to combat low societal expectations of blind people in order to remove barriers to personal, educational, and employment goals. Conducts public education and policy advocacy to shift perceptions of blindness.

Provides individualized support to blind persons in New York State to meet personal, adaptive, or emergency needs, enhancing independence and quality of life.