"Disabled people are among the most disadvantaged in Burkina Faso," she explains. "You could say that among disabled people we have almost 100 per cent illiteracy. In a family, it is the disabled child who will miss out on school. With an education, you still cannot find work as a teacher, or a civil servant. Employers look at your disability, not at what you are able to do. Even in the law, there is discrimination. That’s why I created the Disabled Women’s Association.

"We emphasise the need to educate disabled children and their parents. In Burkina Faso children with mobility problems can go to mainstream schools. But we feel that deaf and blind children need special schools, because this is the only way to ensure that they have special facilities. Adult literacy is also important, because so many people have missed out on education, and are still missing out. Women are particularly disadvantaged. Firstly they are disabled, secondly they are women. They find themselves obliged to work in the informal sector.

"When I was young, disabled people were almost unknown, unseen. Having a disabled child shamed a family and they were kept hidden. It was thought they had been punished by God, or were the victims of witchcraft before they were even born. They were simply a burden on the family, and spending money on their education was seen as a waste. Now parents are learning the importance of school, and they send their children if they can.