Wheels of hope

Jocelyn is a Burundian schoolgirl in Grade 7, living in Gatumba village, 15km from the capital of Bujumbura, near the border between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She has round cheeks and big eyes which she rolls up and down while pondering her answers. She was born in Congo from Burundian refugees. She recollects her story from others’ memory. 

When she was four years old, Jocelyn, a lively, healthy girl got fever one evening. Her parents gave her some tablets to fight back the heat she had. Tablets alone could not do it, so they wrapped her chest and forehead with a wet cloth.

For three days they spent sleepless nights taking care of her and that combination reduced her fever, but she still ached and could no longer sit or stand up for many days. Her parents discovered that her legs had no longer energy and were “disappearing” as days went on. At a health centre in the nearby village, nurses told them that their child had been attacked by polio. Her parents did not want to look after her any longer and abandoned to her faith. Stigma is a major reason why parents abandon their disabled children or hide them in their homes.

Though polio has been eradicated from much of the world, the disease remains in the Democratic Republic of Congo where Jocelyn was born. UNICEF states that it continues to be a tragic reality in that part of the world, where transmission of the virus has affected nearly 200 people in Kivu, the eastern province of Congo during these two last years (UNICEF 2012). UNICEF reports say that this strain of the virus – known as wild polio virus - remains a threat in that area because on one hand, parents refuse to vaccinate their children due to rumours told about the vaccine’s side effects and on the other hand their decline to vaccinate them out of some religious beliefs.

“My parents rejected me, they were no longer interested in me and my sister came to take me,” Jocelyn recounts steadily sitting in her wheel chair. 

“Until the age of seven I did not know that I had parents. Whenever I think of it I fail to understand why my parents rejected me,” Jocelyn says. 

Despite the gift of a wheelchair, 16-year-old Jocelyn continues to face many challenges in her life. 

”Now even my sister is threatening to reject me. She says that I have to rely on myself.” The thought of this brings tears back to her eyes and cheeks. 

Stephane Tchomba Kahenga, director of Maendelo School where Jocelyn studies now explains that she is a courageous girl, who despite her disability is never late or absent. But he regrets that she is not assisted. “We sometimes have to help out because no one is paying her school fees. When the school decides to send away pupils who have not paid school fees, I take my own money and pay for her.”

Jocelyn says that sometimes members of her church also help out and cover for her fees. People chip in when they can. It’s a great gesture but Jocelyn still lives with the fear that one day no one will. Her determination is admirable; she says she has no friends, and she is the only disabled student in her school, clearly marking her out from the other white and blue clad students. Still, she is determined to keep on studying until she graduates. 

Gilbert Bizimungu, the director of “le Reseau Burundais des Personnes Vivant avec Handicap”, the Burundian network of People people living with disabilities, a centre which that partnered with World Vision to help Jocelyn continue her education and provide her with a wheelchair, says that stigma, rejection, lack of access or special equipment are the main causes that are preventing Burundian children with a disability from enjoying their rights. 

Jocelyn is one of many children who are facing these challenges but the partnership with World Vision has brought hope to 100 children. 

“We got 100 wheelchairs from World Vision. Seeing such a support it was like seeing sunlight at midnight. Imagine getting support to accomplish your dreams, when you are rejected by your own relatives. It’s unusual,” he says. 

That director regrets that there are no statistics of people living with disability in Burundi. According to him, that makes it difficult for people who would like to help out.

Jocelyn could not contain herself when asked about what she wants to become after her studies. She laughs a lot. “I want to be a headmistress if I get a chance to finish my studies, I need a job where I will work sitting, my legs do not allow me to stand or move easily.” 

No doubt she also wants to be a headmistress out of the love and respect for the schoolmaster who has been kind to her.