She remembers it as though it were yesterday, and it is recalled with great emotional pain. It was the week everything in her life changed.
“It was 2013 when I developed a sore on my right leg,” Tiyese recounted. “Nothing we did made it better, and finally I had to go to the hospital. To my horror, they had to amputate my leg. The following week, after the amputation of my right leg, they determined they needed to do the same with my left leg. In a single week, the simplest task became a giant challenge. Desperate and devastated by this sudden turn of events, I had little choice but to adapt to my new situation and move forward.”
Tiyese had always been independent and able to provide for her two children through her small firewood business. Now the changes were daunting. This was no longer possible where she had been able to maintain her small business. She obtained a wheelchair, but in time it wore out and was no longer suitable to use, or even to use as a seat. Knowing the cost of a new one she knew she would never be able to purchase one. Because Malawi is so poor, she also knew there was little possibility a government agency could come to her aid. Her friends turned to social media in an appeal for someone to help her. A friend saw the appeal and gave this information to Action for Progress. They took immediate action, and an evaluation of the value of a mobility unit to Tiyese was conducted.
The next day the response came. She qualified and would receive a new mobility unit. The 31-year-old mother had waited long enough. She and her younger sister, Arice arrived at the Action for Progress center in Lilongwe, and since the process had been completed, she was immediately given a new unit. She was already planning a new future.
Tiyese said with the ability to have mobility she is planning to start a business selling African cake. Too, she noted, she had not been able to attend church services with her friends, but with her mobility unit, and the new Bible from Action for Progress, she could start attending services.
As she moved about the driveway at Action for Progress, growing more and more confident with her new freedom, it was obvious the mobility unit would be a life changer. She would now have a sense of independence, hope, and freedom. She could move about easily and without the need for assistance. She had truly regained the ability to be mobile.
Pictured are Tiyese on the mobility unit, and her sister Arice.