Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
CHRISTABEL Siziba (18) from Maphane area in Gwanda District, Matabeleland South, had to drop out of school in Grade Two after suffering a medical condition that left her physically disabled.
Her mother, Ms Sikhangele Madlala, could not afford to send her daughter to an ideal school despite her desire to see her attain the best education.
She recalled how, at the age of seven, Christabel was running to greet her when she fell and started complaining of pain in her leg and was rushed to hospital.
When health officials could not identify the cause of the pain, Ms Madlala said she even took her for physiotherapy but it did not help. Her once hyperactive and clever girl has become quiet.
“Christabel had to drop out of school, as she couldn’t walk the distance. If she walks a long distance she complains of pain in her leg as it gives her problems,” she said.
“If she attempts to walk, she will spend the whole night crying because of pain. Sometimes she falls when she walks for long distances. She was learning at Thornwood Primary School, which is about seven kilometres away. The other nearby schools are six kilometres away.
“I can’t afford to pay a taxi every day for her to go to school, that’s why she had to drop out. She is now grown up and I can’t manage to carry her on my back and send her to school.”
Ms Madlala said her daughter often asks whether she will remain with a disability for the rest of her life and whether she will get an opportunity to go to school. “Besides having challenges with her leg and challenges in speaking, Christabel can do almost all the household chores that don’t require her to stand for a long time or to move around a lot,” said Ms Madlala.
“She does most of the chores while sitting or kneeling. If she can get a course to do then she will be better off.
“It will also help her to develop mentally as I can see that staying at home all day is affecting her psychologically. She envies other children that she sees going to school, even her siblings.”
For Christabel, it pains more when she sees other children going to school while she remains at home. She said she feels like she has been left behind while others are progressing.
She does not want to become dependent on other people for the rest of her life and looks forward to attending school someday so that she can discover her potential.
Mr Pick Nkomwa, director of Nkomwa Foundation Trust, an organisation that advocates for disability issues said Christabel has a physical disability and speech impairment.
“Her physical disability developed as a result of failure to get polio treatment. This is because of negligence from the parents. As an organisation, we have been assisting her with essentials like sanitary, clothing and food whenever possible. We have also assisted her in getting exposure through attending workshops,” he said.
“We are working tirelessly to assist her in obtaining identity documents. It’s also our desire to facilitate her assessment so that she can be enrolled in an ideal school. With her age, she might be recommended for vocational skills training.”
Mr Nkomwa said it is important for parents to pay attention to children’s medical conditions to limit the risk of disability.
Online Reporter