To Have Disabilites in Zambia, By Magda DI from DAPP Child Aid

In Zambia the life is very difficult when you are/become handicapped, because of a lack of recourses, a bad system and the attitude of society.

If you for example have an accident, after the treatment at the hospital in Serenje, which don’t have recourses for surgeries and so on you might have to go to a hospital in Lusaka. The Social Welfare Office can provide you the transport there. The staff from the orthopedic department will check what/if you need a wheelchair, crutches or similar which we will provide for you. If it is needed they also provide support for food, clothes, medication…
The Social Welfare Office will check what skills you have and they can then assist you with capital because they want you to become independent, not relying on them. You can also get support for your bussines from the Catholic Church and from a very new association. But there is not so much because of that it is so new.
If you from the hospital has the need to be put in a Care Home the Social Welfare Office can write a Introduction Report about you to Lusaka and apply for a place, because there is no Care Homes in Serenje.
But it is quit difficult to get a place since there is not enough rooms. If a room will be provided the Social Welfare Office can assist with the fees.

If you are born with a disability your life will depend on if your family is poor or wealthy.
For a poor family the parents will be advised to apply for ex Blind schools for children with mental retardation, Rehabilitations Centers and so on in bigger cities like Lusaka or Ndola for bigger opportunities. The Social Welfare Office we can provide money for the fees and support for basic needs.
Wealthy families can provide this by themselves and with money they have the opportunity for better and different kinds of care.

If it is needed for the child, Boma School in the town now have special educated staff that works with disabled children.
It is unfortunately very common that the parents is ashamed of their child and hides it at home from society, refusing to accept. Especially when it comes to mental retardation, like Downs syndrome.

Serenje has also few associations that can help you, for ex Zambia’s Agency for persons living with disabilities assists blind people with agriculture and support for basic needs.

The environment in Zambia is also very difficult for disabled people, because of bad roads, lack of recourses for transport and bad entrances to buildings. The stairs are a big problem, it can even be difficult by the hospital! You can quit often see handicapped people fighting to get up a hill or something with a wheelchair that doesn’t look to good. But usually the people around come to give them help. This problem is something that the Social Welfare Office is fighting against, because it is your right to move around.
The Social Welfare Office has for example one man they are supporting who is in a wheelchair and who lives quit far from the office alone. He comes all the way by himself to get his support from them because he doesn’t have any relatives that can assist him. It is very dangerous for him to go, the roads with cars are very risky.

In Serenje there are two independent groups were they meet and help each other to improve their lives – as a livestock they keep pigs and goats and they get their capital from hammarmeel which they produce and sell. They choose a leader and a secretary which they work hand in hand with.

Socially it is quit hard because in the culture people that are disable are not able. The handicapped people and society see them as helpless and they always want sympathy from people. You can often see them begging on the streets; feel dependent on others and so on.
The Social Welfare Office is trying to make them see that even with the handicap there is so much you can do. If you are blind, you are not blind for everything – you can still help your children with the homework, and learn how to cook, clean, move around outside and everything without your vision.

One of the most difficult things for you as handicapped is the lack of resources – the money are often not sent in time or at all to the Social Welfare Office. This makes it very hard for them to give the support that they want.
The objectives are also planned for the handicapped, but without them. So they are not well enough adjusted to them. This makes it hard for the handicapped to achieve the goals.

Hospitals in Zambia is also not working properly, usually they just giving out painkillers, the patients are dying while waiting for caring and they are quit messy. This I know from own experience, local people and a nurse who has been working volunteerly who is from Check Republic. This is cosed by both a lack of knowledge and resources. But for example one child I have meet who had a waterhead from birth, went to Lusaka for surgery which seamed to be very succesfull. They but in a pipe so that the water in the head will go out with the urin.

In the bush it is harder; there is no special kind of caring or education at school. No opportunities at all. There are not many chances to manage. In my work I meet on girl in a Pre-school who couldn’t speak, she hade only pronounced few words during her life time. Why, I don’t know… She was very shy but kind and playful just like the other kids. The teacher really wanted to help her but didn’t know how to adjust the lessons to her or how to insure himself of that she had been following his lessons. So he asked me for help. I said I will think about how to help and that I will come back.
So I searched for information on the internet, I asked organizations and so on for help or if they new who I should ask. Nobody would answear me. So I asked my boss I had in Sweden when I was working as a Personal Assistant for handicapped people. She said the best way is to make Pictograms by myself for her. So I did, I bought a book, made a structure and started making few examples for her. He went to her village and had a meeting with her, her mother and the teacher. It went well, and I hope that they will get help from the book.

The article is based on an intervju I did with Tabitha Chilongo who is working as a District Social Welfare Officer in the district Serenje, the central province, and own experiences and impressions.