Mobility and Frankson Lemisani
Dedza, Malawi … Acknowledging these mobility units would be far too expensive for an individual Malawian to buy on their own, the representative for the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) for the Dedza area, recently indicated a problem faced by the government is the cost to try to help everyone who needs them. The sad reality is that Malawi is so poor it just cannot provide for all of the needs of its people. He noted, “Due to the reduced funding from the government, and the high cost of healthcare, we just can no longer afford to help all of the people that desperately need us.”
Other officials at the ceremony expressed similar thoughts, as local residents witnessed the distribution of mobility units to local people in the Dedza district by the Malawi Project. Another speaker at the event was Member of Parliament for Dedza South West Constituency, Honorable Clement Mlombwa. He observed the plight of the disabled was often neglected because of a limited national budget. He added the fact it is leading to a negative impact on the development of the country. “We cannot develop as an area, district, or country if the welfare of a section of the people is not taken into consideration. These physically challenged people need our support. We thank the Malawi Project for providing these units to the people in this area.”
But perhaps the most heart-warming words at the ceremony came from the physically challenged peasant farmer who received one of the units. For much of his life Frackson Lemisani had crawled from place to place in the dirt and mud, often hurting and cutting himself going over rocks and up-hills to carve out a living. Frackson reported, “I have never owned a wheelchair like this before. This is my first time and I am happy. I will now be able to go to the garden and work. In the past I was crawling on the ground. That will not be the case now.”
Reported by Wilson Tembo, Malawi Project