By Kudzai Tamary Chikiwa
The arrival of a newborn baby is often a time of unbridled joy and celebration. However, for some mothers, the experience is vastly different. When a child is born with a disability, the journey of motherhood can become a daunting and isolating experience.
Mazviita Choga’s story is a poignant testament to this reality. A resident of Matava village under Chief Masunda, Choga’s world was turned upside down when her daughter was born with a condition that would confine her to a wheelchair for life.
“The news was devastating,” Choga recalls, her eyes welling up with tears. “My husband’s reaction was even more crippling. He abandoned us, leaving me to care for our daughter alone.”
Choga’s experience is not an isolated one. Many mothers in rural Zimbabwe face similar challenges, from stigma and discrimination to economic hardship and lack of access to resources.
“When l gave birth to my daughter l was told that she had a condition that causes her not to walk for life. When l broke the news to my husband, he told me that the child was not his and he wants nothing to do with her. I thought he said it out of frustration and shock but this has been my life, I single-handedly take care of my daughter,” she narrated her ordeal while staring at her 13-year-old wheelchair-bound daughter.
Not only does Choga have to deal with her husband’s negligence but insults from relatives who call her daughter all sorts of names pointing to her disability.
“My in-laws made it clear that they do not want anything to do with my daughter saying this is the first time someone has had a child with a disability in the family. They call her chirema (disabled) and zigaramurusero (wheelchair-bound). Some even say “chikwambo” (goblin). This pierces my heart and it is a constant reminder that my child will never walk and she is an outcast,”
Choga
Raising her daughter has always been a struggle because she had to juggle between caregiving and doing menial jobs to get money to meet her and the daughter’s needs.
” I am not formally employed so l do not have a solid source of income. I survive on piece jobs but it is hard to commit myself to working while being a full-time caregiver. Sometimes l lose jobs because l fail to meet the demands of my employers. Some want me the whole day in the fields yet my child needs my constant checks,” she said while pushing her daughter’s wheelchair whom she had brought to Mandava clinic for treatment after catching a cold.
This is not just a story of someone privileged, with a stable source of income, and can take their child to King George school I Ln Bulawayo to access education.
This is not a woman whose family is supportive and provides financial, emotional, and spiritual support in taking care of the child.
The story of Choga is that of a village woman whose family abandoned her, cannot afford basic needs, has no money to send her child to a disability-friendly school, and has no adequate knowledge of how to take care of her child.
“Life happens and we cannot do anything about it. I am depressed, and l face every day with fear and struggles. I do not have a family to look up to so l face everything on my own,” she said with teary eyes.
Choga cannot go back to her parent’s house, they passed on when she was young and her guardian made it clear that she has to stay with her in-laws.
“Vakati hatidi madzoka(He(uncle) said he doesn’t want a woman who leaves her marriage and comes back home). I am stuck here. My husband has since married someone else and they are living happily,” she said.
While addressing congregants in Zvishavane, Chief Masunda acknowledged the struggle of rural women taking care of children with disabilities.
“Raising a child with a disability is not easy but it becomes more difficult when you stay in rural areas where there are no resources. Women go through a lot emotionally and financially. They cannot afford to send their children to school or provide a decent life. This owes to unemployment, poverty, lack of support, and failure by authorities to provide a conducive learning environment for children with disabilities,” he said.
He further encouraged members of faith to hold hands in assisting caregivers and children with disabilities.
“A lot needs to be done to assist these women because mostly it’s them (females) who carry the burden of caregiving. It is more challenging for one without resources because they cannot afford to send their children to specialised school. Something needs to be done, particularly building an accessible school for these children,” he said.
Yanano Mandikona, a disability advocate said mothers taking care of children with disabilities face a myriad of challenges.
Economically, she said caring for a child with a disability can limit a mother’s ability to work, reducing the family’s income.
“In Zimbabwe, the majority of the population is not formally employed, particularly in rural areas. These people depend mostly on farming. Now with a child with a disability, a mother’s attention is divided hence they cannot be fully productive in the fields or wherever they deem a source of income,” she said.
Additionally, stigma and discrimination come into play.
“There are families or communities that still cannot welcome a child with a disability. They name-shame them and isolate them, a situation that affects both the mother and child. The child will develop an inferiority complex while the mother can suffer from stress and anxiety,” she said.
Mandikona also pointed out the failure to access formal education as rural areas do not have such facilities.
Mothers also indicated that they face challenges in accessing health facilities.
“Clinics are far and people walk long distances. It becomes hard for me to push my son’s wheelchair for 15 kilometers. Many times l end up resorting to traditional medication,” said Anna Hove of Mazvihwa in Zvishavane.
Hove also indicated that taking care of her child costs her spirituality.
“Not everyone looks at my son as a normal being. I have since stopped going to church because of the way people speak about and to my son. Other children do not want to associate with him,” she said.
While her family does not openly disown her son, when Hove wants to go for some errands, no one accepts to take care of the child.
“People always have excuses and they say he needs my special care. At the end of the day l am always home,l.do not have a normal life like other women,” she said.
While other mothers who might be educated can home-school their children, for these women teaching their children is a nightmare.
“I was not good at school myself, I only wrote my grade seven examinations which l failed. It is difficult for me to teach my child anything academic. If l was intelligent l could be homeschooling him,” she said.
According to Zimbabwe Disability Advocates member Fanyane Moyo, there is a need to empower these mothers to advocate for their children’s rights and interests and provide them with tools and support to do so.
Access to resources and support can bail these mothers, Moyo noted.
“There is a need to connect these mothers with financial assistance, respite care, and counseling,” he added.
Moyo also noted the need to create community awareness and education to promote inclusivity to reduce stigma and discrimination.