By Obbo Yusuf
obboyusuf43@gmail.com
Rahuma Subira Mwajuma, 22 years a resident of Namayemba village in Bugiri district is a spinal cord injured victim, her life has been full of challenges right for childhood.
Failure to walk Mwajuma who cannot walk, only moves around by pushing on her hands and also on a wheel chair.
Isolation, stigmatization and rejection is what she gets from community. The young lady has had to endure the unthinkable stigma and shame for living with a disability in a culture where physical impairment is seen and perceived as a curse. Despite that Mwajuma tried to attend lower classes at mature age but was failed.
“I had no peace while at school, everyone could wonder why a mature person like me could sit in class with little boys and girls. Everyone could look at me as a failure, I had no one to motivate me, I was always chosen to give answers in class ,when I fail everyone could weirdly look at me ,teachers took it as a daily tendency to a shame me in front of the young children in class. While crossing home many could yell at me referring to me as “Dada wa p2” literally meaning the grandmother of primary two class.” Said Mwajuma
Mwajuma now lives in a small grass thatched house set up by her father, in 2015.
Mwajuma was lured into love by a village boy whom she thought would be her longtime lover, but shortly after conceiving, the boy ran away leaving Mwajuma in real agony.
Sadly again in 2018, Mwajuma was raped by a village boy who tiptoed her up to her small room deep in the night leaving her pregnant.
In her words she said “though he raped me, he is the true father of my child, this man whose names I won’t mention did not sympathize with me even amidst the difficults I was going through he impregnated me and took off.
When I realized after a week that I had gotten pregnant, I felt like killing myself and leave this world full of merciless people but when I looked at my first born, I knew God was testing my strength” said Mwajuma
At the age of 22 Mwajuma is now a mother of two sons with no father taking over the responsibilities. This prompted her father Abdul Rahuman to take over the responsibilities of supporting her and the two children.
“Every day we seek avenues of helping our daughter, asking for well-wishers to give us a hand but no one so far has come to our rescue. Mwajuma wants to get vocational knowledge but we luck money, I tried everything to see that she gets better health, but it seems her destiny is to die a disabled.’’ said Abdul Rahuman
An activist and a change Agent at Centre for spinal injuries Atim Joyce Marry says as part of our weekly home visit to people challenged with spinal injuries, they went to Bugiri, Namayemba to provide hope to the hurt around Busoga sub region just like Mwajuma Subira who almost sees disability as a curse in her life given that her condition is worse and she needs everyone’ support to see that she gets a good life.
Atim said that Mwajuma needs food to feed her two junior boys, a proper shelter as well as vocational knowledge so that she can start doing something to earn her some money to support her children.
Centre for spinal injuries Advocacy has launched a campaign aimed at helping Mwajuma Subira, where all well-wishers have been called on board to give a hand in changing Mwajuma’s life.
