Tajikistan

This year’s International Women’s Day celebration under the Women’s Empowerment Project (WEP) was unlike any we had ever held before. For the first time, the gathering was filled predominantly by women from the deaf community, nearly 80 per cent of all participants. These women, who are so often pushed to the margins because they cannot hear or speak, found themselves at the very centre of the celebration. 

 

The theme of the day spoke powerfully to their hearts: 

“I am a princess of my father. 

I am gold for my brother. 

I am a friend to my sister. 

I am the coolness of my mother’s eyes. 

I am the queen of my husband’s heart. 

I am a woman.” 

 

For many of these women, this was not just poetry, it was an awakening. Their faces lit up as they repeated the words, some signing them with joy. It was as though, for the first time, they were hearing what the world often denies them: that they are precious, valued, and worthy of honour. In a society where their silence can make them feel invisible, this moment broke through the isolation. They were not defined by their disability but by their identity and dignity as women. The celebration gave them a voice without sound, a space without judgment, and a crown of worth that no barrier could take away.  

 

To make the day even more meaningful, gifts were distributed to every woman, a simple but powerful gesture that told them, “You are seen, you are loved, and you matter.” The smiles, the tears, and the embraces that followed made it clear: this was more than a celebration; it was a moment of restoration. What began as an annual tradition became a testimony: empowerment is not just about programs or activities. It is about recognition, inclusion, and restoring dignity. That day, every woman in the room left not only with a gift in her hands but with joy in her heart. They walked away not as “the deaf community” but as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers – as queens in their own right.