By Mary Taruvinga
Charity Gapare (8) lives in a small village in Chivi, Masvingo province.
She was born with a physical impairment that affects her speech and mobility. Her father struggled to come to terms with her disability, believing Charity’s condition was a ‘curse’ and often blamed her for his marital troubles.
When she was only eight months old, her mother abandoned Charity at her aunt, Beauty Magwidi’s place with the hope of salvaging her suffering marriage.
“I cannot take care of her anymore,” her mother informed Magwidi later on a phone call.
“I’m convinced that she did this to save her marriage but she still gave birth to another child with a physical impairment,” said Magwidi (49) who has been taking care of her niece since that fateful day.
She told NewZimbabwe.com during a recent media tour organised by the government in conjunction with UNICEF, that she knew that Charity needed help, and immediately took her to a rehabilitation centre for disabled children at Chivi growth point.
Beauty Magwidi and her niece Charity
The centre is supported by the Ministry of Public Service and Social Welfare, UNICEF with funding from Sweden, Norway (NORAD) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation working with implementing partner, Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA).
This initiative has been piloted in 13 districts including Chivi.
The centre is a safe and nurturing environment, where Charity receives the medical care and support she needs.
At the rehabilitation centre, Charity has met other children with disabilities, and has a sense of belonging.
She participates in physical and occupational therapy, learning new skills and building her strength.
Charity also received speech therapy, which helps her communicate more effectively.
Now her story is one of resilience and triumph over adversity.
Magwidi said with love, support, and the right opportunities, people with disabilities can achieve incredible things and live full and meaningful lives.
“She has found a new family and a new sense of purpose. With this stimulation centre, I don’t even wish the mother was here. We have learnt a lot from this centre. I have learnt a lot on how to cope and manage the situation. I am happy that she has learnt new things, she can now crawl and communicate, which is a milestone compared to old days.
Hidden
Just like Charity, Chipo Pikirayi, from Chivi, Ruzive, ward 15 suffered the same predicament with her parents hiding her from the public glare.
This, she said, was done for fear of community ridicule, criticism, believing that it was safer for her to be away from harsh realities of the world.
Chipo stayed inside their small, cramped house, never allowing herself to leave or interact with anyone outside of her immediate family.
“Disability is difficult to accept but this centre has taught us that disability is not inability. We have been taught that we have equal rights just like able bodied children. We have a right to health and education among other things.”
“Many of children like us are hidden from the public until your complexion turns pale. But through the stimulation centre we are no longer being hidden.”
Chipo spent her days staring at the walls around her, often with no company.
She longed for friendship, someone to talk to and share her thoughts and feelings with.
One day, a group of village health workers came to the village, looking for children like her.
They convinced Chipo’s parents to allow her to receive the care and support she needed, explaining she deserved the same opportunities as everyone else; eventually they agreed.
Chipo‘s life changed dramatically. She was finally able to receive all the care she needed, and made many friends along the way.
“I am proud that through this centre, I became confident I don’t shy away from the public anymore,” she said.
The mother of one said when she got married her husband’s family criticised her saying she was a “useless” wife but through awareness enabled by the centre, their perception has changed.
Chipo is now an advocate for disability rights, a youth leader at the centre, working tirelessly to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect.
Hope
The creation of the stimulation centre, where people like Charity and Chipo with disabilities could come to learn new skills, participate in therapeutic activities, and connect with others who faced similar challenges has changed their lives.
They had gotten accustomed to feeling isolated and ignored, and were unsure if the centre could really help them; but after participating in a number of activities and classes, they began to realise the tremendous impact of the stimulation centre.
For the first time in years, they can participate in sports and recreational activities and interact with others who share their experiences. Now they receive medical care and therapy.
Ronald Mazangu the director of ZPCHA said the organisation was established in 1987 for parents with handicapped children to share experiences and motivation.
ZPHCA supports 321 children from five districts in Chivi.
The organisation now has nine provincial chapters.
“We discovered when we were moving around that these children were being abused. Some parents locked their children indoors and did not allow them to travel or interact with the society and were just shy to identify themselves as parents of children with disabilities but here we encourage them to interact so that the children perform as other children and this has changed a lot of things in a positive way,” he said.
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