Tath Nika has had to overcome more obstacles than most to get to where she is today. “I experienced multiple barriers growing up as a blind girl, and I continue to face barriers as a blind woman,” explains Nika, who embarked on her career in 1997 as the first female blind massage therapist in Cambodia. Today, in the face of these obstacles, Nika runs her own establishment, Nika’s Seeing Hands, in the capital of Phnom Penh.

Growing up, because of her disability, Nika was discouraged from schooling but was determined to pursue an education. Eventually she was enrolled onto an NGO-supported programme for visually impaired students, where she learned to read braille, speak English and learn advanced massage techniques, which ultimately became her passion. Nika went on to teach other visually impaired and blind individuals massage skills and eventually, after growing in confidence, she founded her first business alongside four of her fellow students.

However, as the only female member, Nika faced unique obstacles compared to her peers, and eventually decided to go it alone and establish her own business, with financial backing from her family. Faced with gendered discrimination from clients, who failed to acknowledge her business as reputable, Nika’s path to success was not easy: “In spite of my own growth, I continue to face stereotypes in my native Phnom Penh, both in terms of having a disability and being a woman.”

Despite these obstacles, Nika draws inspiration from her passion for massage therapy, and her desire for personal growth. “My business plays a big role in helping people from different backgrounds to relieve their tensions. On a personal level, I wanted to start my own business to learn about my weak points and overcome them so I could become fully independent. I wanted to feel confident to handle the business operations by myself, including management, teaching staff, and accounting.”