Akison calls for support to empower people with disabilities

Akison, an 11-year-old boy with ambulatory disability, comes from Tsitsa village, Traditional Authority Chakhadza in Dowa district. He says he would like to be a teacher one day.

Since he has challenges that make  it difficult for him to walk, he mostly needs a Wheelchair for mobility and postural support. This dream of becoming a teacher is likely to be  futile if he does not receive much support from well-wishers.

“I need a reliable Wheelchair, and possibly support so that one day I should walk on my own without external support. I come from a family which is very poor, such that sometimes I go to school on an empty stomach and often times I fail to concentrate,"  Akison, explains.

“I therefore request organizations like World Vision Malawi, through their Able to Thrive Project, to empower households looking after children with disabilities, like myself, in order to reduce challenges we face,” he adds.

Akison, the fourth born in a family of six children and who is now in standard 3, made the call when World Vision Malawi and other organizations visited Chakhadza Health Center, to appreciate the disability screening exercise among children with disabilities under a project dubbed "Able to Thrive".

He said, among others, empowering children with disabilities and guardians, will act as a motivation as they will be able to reduce some of the challenges and burdens they face when taking care of children with disabilities.

”When I grow up, I would love to be a teacher, so that  I can help children with the same condition as mine. The coming in of World Vision's Able to Thrive project has brought more hope and energy that I will be assisted accordingly, to make my dream a reality”.

“It’s just sad that when I want to do some other things, like anyone else, I get discouraged by people, most of them look down on me. And some boys under my age refuse to play with me, a situation which makes me feel like I can never do things like any other person. World Vision has carried and renewed my hope,” he said.

Blessings George, a brother to Akison, said their family fails to provide necessities for the boy and hopes that organizations such as World Vision will improve the well-being of disabled children such as Akison.

"Most people in our communities fail to provide for these kind of children, as a result most of them do not go further with their education. We are banking our hope to World Vision to provide mobility support and others,” he explained.

On his part, Kenan Nyirenda, Project Manager for Able to Thrive said by the end of the project, children such as Akison and adults with disabilities will be able to have an equal and meaningful participation in different sectors.

Able to Thrive project targets 4,300 children with disabilities, just like Akison, and 7,000 caregivers of children with disabilities.