A mother’s back finally relieved

FOR six years, every journey for 24-year-old Privilege Mahambaedwa began the same way, by lifting her son onto her back.

Whether she was preparing a meal, going to the clinic, bathing him or simply moving around their homestead in Chachacha, Shurugwi District, her son, Anopaishe Hove, was always in her arms or strapped to her back.

It became a routine born out of love, necessity and sacrifice.

“When my son was born, we celebrated as a family just like anyone would upon giving birth,” she recalls.

The joy surrounding Anopaishe’s arrival soon gave way to uncertainty.

Five months after his birth, Mahambaedwa and her family realised that he was not reaching developmental milestones like other children his age.

“We started noticing that Anopaishe was not behaving like children of his age. Slowly we realised he was different and we started taking him to hospital in the hope that his condition could be fixed,” she said.

What followed were years of endless hospital visits, referrals and unanswered questions.

The cost of seeking specialist medical care proved beyond the reach of the young single mother.

With no one to help look after her son, she made one of the hardest decisions of her life when she quit her job to become his full-time caregiver. As Anopaishe grew, so did the physical demands.

She carried him to the kitchen to feed him, to the bathroom to bathe him and everywhere else he needed to go. At night she remained alert, waking repeatedly to tend to him.

Now six years old, Anopaishe cannot walk and depends entirely on his mother for almost every daily activity. Years of lifting and carrying have taken a heavy toll on Mahambaedwa’s health.

She now suffers from chronic back pain, while her parents have stepped in to support both their daughter and grandson.

“Some days the pain is so bad I can barely stand, but he is my child. God gave him to me,” she said quietly. Recently, hope arrived in the form of four wheels.

With Anopaishe once again strapped to her back, Mahambaedwa travelled to the Government Complex in Gweru,

where children with disabilities from across the Midlands Province gathered to receive assistive devices from Government.

Among them was Anopaishe.

Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube handed over 15 wheelchairs, 40 pairs of crutches, 32 magnifiers, 11 walking canes, 125 talking calculators, 14 slates and styluses, 69 headphones, 21 Jensen recorders and 297 Braille abacuses to learners with disabilities enrolled at schools across the province.

Minister Ncube said the initiative reflects the Second Republic’s commitment to inclusive, quality, Heritage-based

Education 5.0 and the constitutional principle of leaving no one and no place behind.

“In this regard, His Excellency, President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the National Disability Policy in June 2021, which promotes equal access to education, healthcare and infrastructure and requires learning institutions to adapt their environments and curricula to accommodate all learners,” he said.

Minister Ncube said the policy is reinforced by the Persons with Disabilities Act, which aligns the country’s legal framework with the Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

For Mahambaedwa, however, policy became personal the moment officials called her son’s name. Anopaishe was carefully placed into a new state-of-the-art wheelchair. Relief washed over the young mother.

“I was so relieved. This will go a long way in assisting us to move from one point to another. I now hope that the back pain will go away because I will no longer have to carry him everywhere,” she said with a smile.

For the first time in years, she could imagine a different future, one where taking her son to school, church, the clinic or simply around the homestead would no longer depend solely on her physical strength.

“I would like to commend the Government for coming to my aid by remembering us. For a long time we felt forgotten,” she said.

Mahambaedwa was not alone. Among the beneficiaries was Remudzai Zhou Makwava from Mberengwa, who has spent years carrying her 11-year-old daughter, Precious Shumba.

“Precious can speak, but she has one challenge as she cannot walk. So I have been forced to carry her everywhere,” she said.

Despite her disability, Precious excels academically at Makwava Primary School.
When she received her wheelchair, her face beamed with excitement.

“I am told that this can move on its own. I am very happy that I will be able to go to school or church on my own,” she said.

For her mother, the wheelchair symbolises freedom for the entire family.

“Now I can also do other things at home without worrying about carrying her all the time,” she said.

Gweru Provincial Hospital superintendent Dr Fabian Mashingaidze said childhood disabilities can arise before birth, during delivery or later in life.

He cited conditions such as cerebral palsy resulting from birth asphyxia, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, autism, microcephaly, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and epilepsy as some of the causes of mobility and developmental challenges.

“Some of these conditions can be prevented through proper antenatal care, skilled delivery and early intervention,” he said.

Dr Mashingaidze stressed the importance of early screening, rehabilitation services and access to assistive devices.

He said wheelchairs, hearing aids and specialised learning equipment not only improve the quality of life of children with disabilities but also significantly reduce the physical and emotional burden borne by caregivers.