In the Dust, Across Stones and Through Mud
Matowe Village, Chiladzulu Malawi, Central Africa… Twenty-two-year old Ibrahima Imran calls Matowe Village home. Ibrahima is physically challenged and has never traveled more than two-kilometers from his home, except when going to school or a nearby medical facility. His only means of mobility has been crawling in the dust, across stones and through mud. It’s not surprising that his knees have sores on them. His entire life has been spent crawling in the dirt.
Unlike so many who quit because they feel they can do nothing in life, Ibrahima has taken a different course. With the help of his brother Alex, who has carried him back and forth to school often carrying him on his back, Ibrahima has struggled his way up the ladder of education. Today, he is in final class of high school at the Danga Private school.
Glued to the House
But, facing the challenge of the future is how to move beyond his village so he can get a job and interact with people outside his tiny village. Through the years this challenge has kept him isolated at home after school and when everyone else went to communityand sporting events. He cann’t even go to church on Sunday. One can say “he is glued to his house”.
To ease his brother’s work load and help Ibrahima go to school, a new mobility unit has been given. After receiving it he was all smiles. “Next time you come, I will be at the football game watching them”, he promised. It highlighted the fact he will now be able to move around.
“After I finish school, I will be able to start a small business,” he beamed. Ibrahima can now plan for the future and, because ofdthis new mobility unit he is able to see the future in a very positive and different way.
This is the first of over 200 mobility units shipped to Malawi through a co-operative program between Mobility International and the Malawi Project. The units were shipped from the Mobility facility in Demotte, Indiana under the direction of Bob Gabrielse.
Wilson Tembo
Malawi