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When a woman is pregnant and expecting to give birth, she does not anticipate giving birth to a child with a form of disability.

The initial reaction most mothers have when informed of their child’sspecial need is typically shock then denial,anger,sadness,detachment and helplessness.

Many think there must be a mistake and seek for second opinions. Some see it as God’s curse!

This leads to consulting various avenues for a diagnosis which is favorable to them which, in most instances,denigrates the adaptation process and early interventions which can have a positive impact on the child’s wellbeing.

For most mothers in Zhombe under Chief Gwesela,disability is viewed either as a curse by the ancestors or a result of witchcraft,than it being a medical condition.

As a result of these misconceptions,3 parents who the project came in contact with did not seek medical assistance when they gave birth to children with disabilities.

These women are from St Paul’s, a hard-to-reach area in Zhombe East Constituency. They are parents to Noel, Precious and Tafadzwa.

Noel Chikwava is a 13-year old boy who is mentally challenged.He stays in Majuvani village under Chief Gwesela.Precious Chigodora is a 4-year old girl with microcephaly, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age.

She is from Mbuva village under Chief Gwesela.Tafadzwa is a 28-year old male who was involved in an accident in South Africa and has since been confined to a wheelchair.Noel Chikwava spent most of his time in a wheelchair that the parents had sourced from a well-wisher whilst four year old Precious spent her days lying on a mat in the family compound.

After being released from intensive care Tafadzwa was given a wheelchair and came home to stay with his parents in their rural home in Zhombe.Though the condition of these three was a cause of concern to the parents, they did not attempt to take them to hospital to have their problems investigated.

They accepted their children’s conditions as ‘God’s will’.

Intervention

The parents of these three children were amongst those selected by Case Care Workers in their community to attend a training of parents of children with disabilities on Basic Physiotherapy;Parents support group concept and Advocacy facilitated by the BMZ Child participation and Inclusion Project team.

During the training,the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Rehabilitation Department trained parents of children with disabilities on the causes of disability,types of disabilities and demonstrated basic physiotherapy and stimulation exercises that parents could administer at home so as to improve their children’s lives.

Parents were also urged to form support groups in their communities as parents of children with disabilities so as to offer each other moral support,to meet and share experiences and ideas occasionally, and to engage in livelihood project so as to be able to provide basic needs for their children.

The parents of Noel, Precious and Tafadzwa also joined support groups,Toshinga Support Group and St Paul’s Support Group respectively. In these support groups, parents encouraged each other to have their children engage in physical activities and exercises on a regular basis.

The project also supported Zhombe Mission Hospital Rehabilitation Department with fuel so as to conduct outreach sessions at Sengezi clinic to assist children with disabilities.Noel, Precious and Tafadzwa were assessed and the rehabilitation technician demonstrated the different physical activities and routine exercises that the parents were supposed to administer to their children whilst at home.

Change

Through these interventions,the children are now able to stand and walk for short distances.The parents are confident that if they continue with rehabilitation, they will become even stronger and be able to walk for longer distances.

Precious’ mother Mrs Chigodora expressed relief and outlined that now her child can also play with other children at times instead of lying on a mat all day.

Tafadzwa has also disengaged from using his wheelchair and is now able to walk. At first he used crutches but now he can walk independently without them.His mother Fortunate Mashingaidze said, “I encourage mothers to take their children to the hospital if they suspect that they have any sort of challenge.

It is better to be told at the hospital that there is nothing that can be done for them than to make your own diagnosis at home.”Fortunate is now trying to get assistance from the District Social Welfare to send her son to Ruwa Vocational Training center under the disability fund.

Lessons Learnt

1. Not allchildren who are unable to walk need wheelchairs. Physiotherapy recommended by specialists after assessments can make a significant change in a child’s life.It is important that children get a proper diagnosis from specialists before assistive devices are provided as these can do more harm than good.There is, thus, need to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care Rehabilitation Department when dealing with cases of disability.
2. Outreach sessions by the RehabilitationDepartment must be supported on a regular basis for follow-up and monitoring visits so that children who showimprovements do not regress. Some parents may not be able to travel to the hospitals because of financial constraints which can be detrimental to a child’s progress.
3. Parents of children with disabilities need to be constantly encouraged to seek a diagnosis from qualified personnel and desist from making their own conclusions and blaming a child’s disability on witchcraft or fate.
4. Parents of children with disabilities are better able to make decisions when proper information is provided. In this case, parents believed the myths and misconceptions on disability and delayed seeking medical assistance for their children. Had this information been available from their children’s births, Precious and Noel would have been effectively assisted and enjoyed their childhood development.

ARTICLE BY DEBORAH NCUBE