THE JOURNEY OF KIYUNGA ISMA
Every mother’s dream is giving birth to a healthy baby. Florence was not any different
as she walked into the hospital to deliver her child in 2013. Her anticipation quickly
turned into anxiety when the doctor informed her that she needed emergency surgery
because her baby was already fatigued .All that, she took in one stride until the Doctor
later broke it down to her that her baby was healthy but different. “How different?” she
asked as the baby was handed down to her.
When she examined the newborn, she broke down immediately on realizing that her
child had major disabilities from the waist downwards. “I immediately felt a burden
knowing that he will always be dependent on me” she said. The moment she reached
home, she felt the urge to keep the baby out of sight, she did not want anybody else to
know that the baby was disabled. As the days went by, the resentment increased to the
point that she did not want anything to do with little Isma.
Through the community structures, one of the World vision trained community
volunteers reached out to Isma’s family. At 3 years old, Isma was weighed only 6kgs.
He was severely malnourished, underweight and could barely move his body. He would
be locked up in the house the whole day as his mother went about her business at the
makeshift bar in the neighborhood. For many days and nights, he cried himself to sleep
and the neighbors got used to this as a normal thing.
Following a rapid assessment, he was immediately started on the positive hearth nutrition
rehabilitation sessions and thankfully registered progress. Florence was also trained on positive
parenting from where she fully understood that neglect was a serious form of abuse. The family
was additionally attached to an existing care group where a dedicated lead mother would visit
them consistently to monitor the child’s progress.
As Isma blossomed into a lively young boy, his dreams of going to school became alive, His
desire to interact with the world around him became more pronounced, he wanted to be able to
move freely, make friends and connect with the world. His only challenge was mobility. He
needed to be able to move from one place to the other with ease just like his friends.
Isma before world ‘s intervention way back in 2015 and currently after receiving a wheelchair from
world vision
World Vision aspires to see that Children are cared for in a loving, safe, family and community
environment with safe places to play. With support from BMC Peace and protection project Isma’s
dream came to reality when they bought for him a customised wheel chair to enable him
experience life in its fullness just like any other ordinary 7-year-old. Isma’s smile portrays a life
of gratitude and zeal to reach for the stars .He says that since he received the wheel chair, he
has made so many friends and is now able to move from one place to the other to play with
them “I have now learnt to get on by myself, remove the breaks and roll the rim effortlessly” he
said .Isma adds that his favourite part of the wheel chair is the table section which enables him
to write, and have his meals with ease .He uses every opportunity he gets to scribble ,draw
pictures and learn how to write his name .He is very eager to go to school and start his learning
journey once the schools are re-opened (post covid lockdown )
“We didn’t know he would survive and turn out healthy, so we are happy to celebrate every little
milestone with Isma” said Abdul, the chairperson for persons with disabilities in Solo B
community.