Alseny: I lost my sight, but not my dreams

At the age of 18, Alseny is blind. Despite this, he has not lost faith in his future. Born and raised by his grandmother in a small village in Guinea’s Macenta prefecture, his positive attitude inspires and gives hope to everyone he meets. “I may have lost my sight, but I haven’t lost my intelligence or my determination,” he says firmly. Alseny was born with an eye condition and had several surgeries as a child, but his condition did not improve. “My eyes have been fragile since birth,” he explains. He was able to read and write in primary school thanks to his functioning left eye, but by secondary school, his vision gradually faded and he became completely blind. However, far from giving up, he redoubled his efforts. “I want to do well in my studies. I want to succeed. I want to become somebody,” he says. As there are no specialist schools for visually impaired children in his rural community, Alseny is unable to learn Braille and has to follow his lessons solely by listening and memorising. He has to present all his work orally for his assessments. This year, Alseny is facing a major challenge in the form of the Brevet d'Études du Premier Cycle (BEPC) exam, Guinea’s national examination marking the end of lower secondary education. In response to this situation, the Director of Education for Macenta and the Regional Inspectorate are taking action to support Alseny's participation in the examination process. Nine teachers are helping him by reading the exam papers out loud and transcribing his answers in turn. To ensure transparency, a special videographer is filming each session. “I am grateful for all these efforts,” says Alseny. “Thanks to them, I can compete on equal terms with my classmates.”