Think you Have it Hard? Imagine Being Disabled in Africa
December 13, 2011
In this season, when people consider all the things they have to be thankful for, people with disabilities sometimes wonder if they have nothing much to give thanks for. But, things could be far worse.
Recently America celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Its passage marks the general acceptance of the idea that that people with disabilities ought to be included in all aspects of American life.
However, try to imagine living in a country where anything close to the degree of acceptance we experience didn’t exist, either in society as a whole or among the disabled individuals themselves. Imagine if your own family and relatives believed your disability was a curse that brought shame to them; a land where it was considered appropriate to hide you away — or mock you for your disability.
“Every family reacts differently,” says Jackie Ndona, a Congolese physician who founded the National Federation of Handicapped Women’s Associations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “Especially in rural areas, you will still find families who hide a handicapped child or treat the child as some kind of witch. In some places, thanks to a certain level of culture, people with disabilities are treated like other people, but stigmatization still exists.”
That’s the way it is in small towns and villages in many African countries, including Burundi, Madagascar, Somalia and Eritrea
The facts are pretty grim. According to USAID:
- The majority of Africans with disabilities are excluded from schools and opportunities to work, virtually guaranteeing that they will live out their lives as the poorest of the poor.
- School enrollment for the disabled is estimated at no more that 5-10 percent.
- Disabled people are estimated at 10 percent of the general population, but possibly as high as 20 percent of the poor.
- As many as 80 percent of working age people with disabilities are unemployed.
- The social stigma associated with disability results in marginalization and isolation, often leading begging as the sole means of survival.
- According to Rehabilitation International, it is estimated that 350-500 people worldwide become amputees each day due to landmines that they encounter while walking, farming, or playing.
- A consequence of living in poverty with a disability is inadequate access to health services, resulting frequently in serious secondary conditions and general deterioration in the quality of life.
In this season of giving, it’s perhaps a good opportunity to help people who are disabled. If you want to help, here are a few organizations you might want to contact:
- http://www.handicap-international.us/hi/
- http://disabilityaidabroad.net/
- http://www.springofhope.org.uk/Child_Sponsorship.html
To make sure your money is spent wisely, please check carefully with Guidestar or other independent sources of information about charities before making your contribution.
