“I was searching for something that would stretch my thinking and help me grow not just academically, but as a person”, says Elizabeth. “I wanted to understand the world better, to see things from different perspectives, and to prepare myself for a future where I could make a real difference.”

Elizabeth recently graduated from the Certificate in Liberal Studies (accredited by XIM University Bhubaneswar, India) in Lagos, Nigeria, where Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL)programmes are offered in partnership with the Jesuit Province of North-West Africa (ANW). As a person with visual impairment, her journey was different to that of most JWL students, but with strong determination and a little support from her onsite facilitator she successfully completed the programme and experienced its transformative potential: “The JWL programme opened my eyes to the power of education, not just as a tool for personal advancement, but as a way to uplift others. It helped me find my voice and strengthened my sense of purpose. [...] The programme taught me to think deeply and act with integrity, and that’s something I carry with me in every single thing that I do.”

Over the past few years, JWL has seen an increase in persons with disabilities enrolling in its programmes across the globe. While the JWL Learning Management System (LMS) is not specifically designed for persons with disabilities, efforts are underway to gradually adjust it to the needs of these learners, in collaboration with Seitwerk GmbH. Student consultations were held to identify their needs in terms of usability of the LMS, and the tools they use. With these insights, the platform was adjusted to facilitate navigation with the use of screenreaders. Feedback received also shed light on the need to design some assignments in a more inclusive way, and instructional designers are now working on including alternative assignments to address the diversity of student needs.

Elizabeth is applying the knowledge and skills gained to her work with the Red Cross Society. But her educational journey won’t end here, for she plans on becoming a lawyer – and not just any kind of lawyer: “My dream is to become a lawyer who not only understands the law but also uses it to advocate for justice and serve those who are often overlooked. I want to be part of building a more just and compassionate society, and I know this is just the beginning.”

The North-West Africa (ANW) Province of the Society of Jesus aims to embark on a tertiary education project that will serve disadvantaged youth in the English-speaking West Africa region. This tertiary education goal of the Province is in the spirit of the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society. After a prayerful reflection on the work of JWL, which offers free Jesuit tertiary education via an efficient online facility to the poor and people at the margins, the Province reached out to JWL in 2023. Subsequently, to effectively provide quality tertiary education to the poor and marginalised in this African region with a large population of marginalised youth, the ANW signed an MoU with JWL on 31 of July 2023. This ANW-JWL initiative currently has learning centres in Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Monrovia and Freetown.

“The ANW Province is grateful to JWL”, said Fr John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan, SJ, Director of ANW-JWL Collaboration & Chair of Jesuit Tertiary Education, North-West Africa, “particularly the Jesuits and lay collaborators who make possible this tertiary education mission to young people at the margins.”