Sierra Leone and Burundi are two of the poorest countries in the world. Based on the GNI (Gross National Income per capita), Burundi ranks last out of all the countries of the world, and Sierra Leone ranks 5th from last. Looking at the HDI (Human Development Index), a scale that ranks countries based on life expectancy, education, and per capita income, Burundi ranks 5th from last and Sierra Leone is 6th. Both countries also bring up the rear in a ranking on the worst countries to be a woman based on indicators such as years of schooling, the number of female lawmakers, employment, legal and other discrimination, war, intimate partner violence, and cellphone use. 

One Day’s Wages partnered with Accessible Hope International (AHI) to provide hope, healing, training, and economic empowerment to 69 women with disabilities through AHI’s local partners in Sierra Leone and Burundi. Transformation Training was a 16-week training program that provided women with disabilities with life-changing information about themselves, their disability, basic health and development, disease prevention, social skills, small business skills, and more. The women attended highly participatory, interactive classes one day per week, learning new information and skills and then taking those back to their communities. Each week, the women reviewed what they learned previously and talk with each other about how they have used that information. They developed community and friendships, which for many of them was a brand-new experience.