Guest blog by Bethesda School
Bethesda Disability Ministry serves children and adults with disabilities in the communities around Kabwe, Zambia under Operation Mobilisation (OM). Bethesda looks holistically at families affected by disability with regards to their physical, spiritual and emotional needs. We would love to be able to help those affected by disabilities in Kabwe with the equipment they need to be able to move around their communities, attend school and have a hope for their future.
In many African countries there is still a huge stigma attached to people with disabilities which means that people with disabilities are very much looked down upon and considered to be the ‘lowest’ in society.
Even now in the 21st century there are still many children with disabilities who are hidden away in dark rooms or out at the back of the house, hidden from sight because of the shame they might bring the family. Families can be shunned from their community simply for giving birth to a disabled child. So, attitudinal barriers are significant in the life of a disabled child in Zambia. Many people are fearful of what they do not know or understand.
The lack of equipment, such as wheelchairs, also means that it is very difficult for a person with a disability to engage with the community around them and to be able to work towards breaking down those barriers caused by fear or lack of understanding.
The communities Bethesda is working in are greatly affected by poverty as well as many issues related to lack of education. Sadly, many of these disabilities are preventable. Many disabilities are prevalent in these communities due to inadequate, or in some cases a complete lack of access to healthcare.
The children are also significantly ‘disabled’ by their environment due to lack of access to therapy and suitable equipment and adaptations.
Bethesda school was established in 2013 with 10 children coming along each day. Here is the video from when the school first started:
There are now more than 60 children in the school, and we have a waiting list of others who would love the opportunity for an education.
We have a number of children with cerebral palsy in the school who spend most of the school day lying on mats on the floor because they do not have a suitable chair or standing frame to use. These children have the ability to learn but do not manage to follow the lessons because they cannot see the board or engage with the teaching whilst lying on the mat. It is heart-breaking to see children not being able to fulfil their potential in life simply because they do not have a chair to sit on. Some of these children are also experiencing constant pain and pressure sores and an increase in contractures as a result of their lack of suitable equipment.
The team at Bethesda also work with a number of children and adults in the community helping them to access healthcare and surgery where needed and providing equipment where we can. Disability equipment is very hard to come by in Zambia and most of the equipment we have been able to bless people with, in the past, was imported from overseas more than a decade ago.
Where we can we get equipment made from locally available resources using techniques such as applied-paper-technology (APT) but there are only a handful of places in Zambia currently trained in making this equipment and unfortunately, they are not suitable for all individuals.
The majority of people with disabilities in Zambia do not have access to mobility equipment to enable them to go to school or to find employment. This has a huge impact therefore on their quality of life – with no access to education, social activities, or even to engage in family life. We would love to see people with disabilities in Zambia empowered by having the right equipment to freely move around their homes and communities and make an impact where they are.
We will be sending a container from the UK this winter which we would love to fill with disability equipment for Bethesda. The equipment can be new or second hand but must be either in good-working-order or able to be easily refurbished to good-working-order. We are looking for companies and individuals to get behind this container project in order to be able to make a difference in the lives of those people Bethesda are working with.
Bethesda is in desperate need of wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, specialist chairs and standing frames as well as physiotherapy equipment, educational and sensory resources for the school. We would love your help in meeting the needs of these families through your support of our container appeal.
Please contact ruth.bullock@om.org if you are able to help. There will be collection points around the UK where equipment can be left for the container and an address where smaller items can be posted to.
This guest blog is part of our 40 stories for 40 years’ series, celebrating our partnerships over the years. Click here to read more blogs in this series.
