Everyone said that time in mission would fly by. I completely disagreed the first several months as hours seemed like days and days like weeks. Culture shock was real. Like, really real. Language training was exhausting (apparently learning a language at 42 makes one very tired and ready for bed by 6pm every night …), my Northwest body was not accustomed to the 83 degree daily heat, and we really did have to relearn how to do the simplest things (driving on the opposite side of the road, shopping at the local markets for groceries, buying socks or underwear for the kids, etc.). Everything just took a lot more time and a lot more energy than it did back home. But that’s changing. And as I sat down today to write a new blogpost, I realized that it had been over 2 weeks since my last one. Where did the time go?! As we near the end of June in the next few weeks we will officially hit our 6-month mark in Tanzania. Maybe what everyone said about mission flying by will be true after all …
Part of my work in Mwanza involves working with a local
school (Huruma Special Education Unit) that serves children with disabilities; I
discussed the founding of Huruma in a previous blogpost (here). Here in Tanzania, there is still much stigma
surrounding not only the individual that has a disability – but the family as
well. To give birth to a child with a disability can bring shame to a family; community
and family members may believe a parent traded their child’s health for wealth
or blessings, or that the family is cursed. It is not uncommon for fathers to
leave women that give birth to a child with a disability. And as if community
and family isolation and rejection isn’t bad enough – just the reality of
trying to raise a child with a disability in a developing nation is beyond what
many of us back home could imagine. Limited access to clean water, no
specialized equipment to help with movement or comfort, very minimal healthcare, no access to special nutrition or supplements.
Add to that a lack of understanding of an individual’s disability and how it
may affect a child’s behavior or ability to learn (think autism, Down syndrome,
etc.) and the picture that is painted can look pretty bleak. And honestly, in
many cases, it is. Children are often hidden away in the back of houses,
spending their days on concrete floors in darkened rooms. That is the reality
of many children with disabilities in Tanzania.
Which makes what I got to be part of last week at Huruma even more amazing and special. Last week I held 2 days of free medical assessments for the children attending Huruma. We had over 30 students attend with parents and caregivers. To see these adults engaged with their children, asking good questions and advocating for their child’s best interests – how incredible! The work being done at Huruma Special Education Unit is changing the storyline. One child at a time, this school is showing the community that disabilities do not mean shame or curses. These children are showing that when given the opportunity, they can learn and participate in community life. And the parents and caregivers that refuse to hide their children and instead are responding to the call to learn and educate themselves on their child’s disability and the best ways to care for them – they are showing that parents have the power to write a new story with their children; they do not have to bend to the old ones.
