Coloursell Furniture rescues needy families

Health Reporter FIVE members of the Gwizo and Chisuko families – paralysed by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that weakens muscles — are set to return to school after Coloursell Furniture lightened their plight by donating furniture for their boarding facility in Odzi. The five, Tawanda (12), Learnmore (7) and Courage Gwizo (5) and Blessing (10) and Alan Chisuko (5) have been enrolled  for Grade One at Odzi Primary School after their “intellect was certified good” by the education psychological services. The only hitch was a convenient facility from where the five would stay while attending school and the gesture by Coloursell Furniture has put everything in place. The children, under the care of DOCAS, an AFM in Zimbabwe welfare ministry based in Odzi, will start lessons next term. The property donated by Coloursell include a lounge suite, an upright refrigerator, a kitchen unit, a table and chairs, a bed, a washing machine and 42-inch plasma set. The donation was done at the AFM National Spiritual Conference held at Chatswoth, Masvingo, last week. Docas is developing a fully fledged rehabilitation village at its Mt Olive Hospital Rehabilitation Centre in Nyazura. The initiative will enable children undergoing physiotherapy rehabilitation at the centre to enjoy an environment that is similar to that of their respective homes. Coloursell marketing executive, Miss Dionne Mpofu, said her company was ready to partner DOCAS fulfilling that long-term life-saving vision. “We learnt about the plight of these children through the Press and realised that if we chip in with the required household property to furnisher the rehabilitation village where the children will be staying we will be assisting in their rehabilitation. It is crucial that we expose these children to the best home environment possible where they will play games while enjoying the best of comfort. “We operate in a community and where we find need, we assist,” said Miss Mpofu. DOCAS director, Reverend Togara Mapingure, said the children would be transferred to their Mt Olive Hospital, a rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Nyazura by December. The hospital was being developed using the village concept. “In the meanwhile, the donated furniture will be used at a temporary boarding facility from where the children will be pushed by wheelchairs to Odzi Primary School where they will be doing Grade One. “Their intellect was rated good and they will start their belated academic pursuits from Grade One and by December we will be transferring them to Mt Olive Hospital, where we are also creating a facility to cater for their special educational needs. “These children have drastically improved in terms of welfare and we feel their condition can further improve if we could get access to a drug that was recently approved by the European Union to enhance their treatment of such conditions,” explained Rev Mapingure. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular condition caused by the lack of a protein called dystrophin that result in progressive muscle weakness. The muscle fibres breakdown and are replaced by fibrous or fatty tissue causing the muscle to gradually weaken. It is a genetic disease and the children inherited this condition from their mothers, Naomi Sahumani-Gwizo (34) and Mirriam Sahumani (32) blood sisters. The mothers do not suffer the condition themselves as they are carriers. The children are bedridden and could not walk or pick themselves up. They have grown deformities around joints and were developing learning and behavioural difficulties, which according to medical explanation, arise from the effect disease has on the brain and to physical limitations.