Kathy Bowler's September/October Update!

Community Sensitization Training – Another Milestone Achieved!

We are so pleased to have successfully completed 24 Community Sensitization Training Workshops in the 8 rural and peri-urban communities where we provide services. The last session was on all the issues that affect children with disabilities and their families in the communities where they live.  

We had 4 main facilitators.  The first one was an Inclusive Education Officer working for an organization called Parents of Disabled Children of Malawi.  His role is to travel to all communities and encourage parents of children with disabilities to send their children to school.  Historically parents tried to send their children to school but often the School would reject them due to their disability.  That changed in 1994 when ‘Free Education for All’ was introduced to provide all Primary School children the opportunity to go to school.  Last year the Disability Rights Bill was passed guaranteeing the same rights for children with disabilities as other children.  Our facilitator was able to explain these rights to the communities including Teachers from the schools.  We had Community Police Officers attend the training to back up the first facilitator as well for emphasis!  Next we had 2 of our members of staff speak. 

 Kadamanja represented children with disabilities.  He was born with only 1 finger and no feet.  His grandfather wanted him killed at birth as he believed that Kadamanja was not human!  Kadamanja’s mother refused to do so and raised him to be independent to prove the grandfather wrong.  Kadamanja remembers her making him do things by himself even to the point of crawling to school.  Sadly his father passed away when he was a baby and his mother died when he was only 9.  By that time he was walking and attending school.  Kadamanja went to live with his uncle and eventually his grandfather did too when he could no longer care for himself.  At that time Kadamanja’s uncle and aunt were both at work during the day and it was Kadamanja who ended up looking after his grandfather, even carrying him around on his back.  Kadamanja is now attending his third year at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College studying Humanities.  He is a great testimony of what people with disabilities can achieve when they are given the opportunity.   

The last speaker was Mrs. J.  She was married and had 7 children when her second youngest child became ill with meningitis.  When he was discharged from the hospital he was severely disabled.  He could not sit, stand, walk or talk anymore.  He also had a severe seizure disorder.   Even though he attended therapy regularly and received medication for his seizures he did not improve.  After 1 year her husband left the family saying it was just too hard!   Imagine how hard it must have been for his wife raising 7 small children on her own especially when she could not leave her son alone due to his disability!  She challenged the husbands in the audience to stay with their families even when there is a child with a disability.

Parents from each community also presented skits, poems and songs highlighting some of the issues they have experienced in their communities.  All in all it was a very good experience for Children of Blessing Trust.  Many of the leaders were very appreciative of all that they were taught.  We will try and continue informal meetings in the communities.  We hope to be able to make smaller presentations at future community meetings to speak up against stigma and discrimination aimed at our children and their families.