Along dusty tracks

to the Annual General Meeting

Visiting a village in southern Zimbabwe

In spite lack of transportation, about 75 people came from many regions of Zimbabwe to the first Annual General Meeting of MDAZ.

Saturday the 12th of October is a very special day for MDAZ. The association is going to have its first real nationwide meeting. Just before noon I meet the chairman, Watson Khupe, in front of the office. He is on his way to the hotel where the nationwide meeting is going to be held. He has hardly time to talk, because he is going to meet the vice health minister, which he persuaded to be the main speaker at the meeting. An appointment that was agreed on only five days earlier.

I have my doubts, how nationwide the meeting can be after the last week’s visits to families round the country. For me, who is used to drive on nice paved roads, it’s difficult to imagine, how it will be possible for people with muscular dystrophy to come from the rural areas to the second largest city of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, at all. Especially if you come from a small village, where the road only consist of narrow tracks.

When I enter the office of MDAZ to deliver some papers, all my doubts disappear. Already here I meet some of the first attendees, who have come the long way. It is thirty year old; Chloepas Mashanga and his little brother, which both have muscular dystrophy. They have succeeded in creating a small textile printing business, which however, hardly pays enough to cover the daily necessities. For that reason, they depend on the families’ possibility and goodwill to help them economical.

A strong-willed muscle-swindler

I set off for the hotel that it is going to be the setting for the meeting. Again I was happily surprised to see many of the ones we have met earlier. I’m especially surprised to see Manomwe Chagwiza. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. If he can manage through life on the conditions he have had, he is definitely made of some special material, and possess a will to make the almost impossible to be possible.

Visiting the book binder Manomwe in a village near Masvingo.

We met Manomwe Chagwiza for a week ago, when we visited him in his village situated in one of the mountainous regions of Zimbabwe. We had to turn away from the paved road and tried to follow the wheel tracks, which sometimes changed to foot tracks. It was unbelievable at all, that any could navigate through the rocky areas without any marks. But after half an hour drive, we got to the village, which was located on a small mountainside. I thought to myself, that it would be impossible to exist here with muscular dystrophy. I was happy, that we didn’t have to go further in this rough terrain.

We went out of the car. Someone send for Manomwe Chagwiza to one of the huts a bit down the mountain. We saw him sitting in his wheelchair, being pushed and dragged over ball of soil, rocks and holes to one of the few trees that provided a bit shade. The wheelchair had obviously seen better days. There was no longer a tire on the wheels, but only pieces of tires that was tied around the wheel rim.

To school in a wheelbarrow

Bus stop at a dusty road.

Manomwe Chagwiza is 32. He only got four years of education in primary school. Because of his muscular dystrophy he wasn’t no longer able to walk the two kilometers to the school, at the age of eleven.

After a period without schooling, an acquaintance got hold of a wheelbarrow, so Manomwe could be pulled to school. But he had to stop again, when there wasn’t any to help him in the school with going to toilet among other things. First at the age of eighteen, there was some who got hold of a wheelchair for him.

Later, Manomwe Chagwiza went three years to the country’s largest rehabilitation center for people with disabilities – Jairos Jiri. Here he learned basketwork, which gave him a small income. This year Manomwe Chagwiza has been supported by MDAZ to start a small business to breed chickens for resale.
However it has turned out, that breeding chickens is a very bad idea, because too many are doing the same. Because he can’t live of the 120 Zimbabwe $ (approximately 10 Can $ 1996) he receive from the government every month, he is taken instruction in bookbinding which now gives him an additional income.
Manomwe told, when he is going to bind books, he get help to be pushed to the nearest bus stop on the paved road. There he gets help to get into the bus, which drives him to a school. There he will stay until he finishes his job.

With these difficulties Manomwe Chagwiza has to cope with every day, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him at the general meeting.

For the benefit of all the disabled

Before the general meeting starts, we are all offered lunch. About 75 people have turned up. Some with muscular dystrophy, some are relatives. Some have obviously other disabilities than muscular dystrophy, and undoubtedly it will be like that for many years, because it is very difficult for the health clinics to make the right diagnosis. Others of the participants wants to support the work MDAZ is doing, and hope that the achieved improvements, will be for the benefit of all the people with disabilities in Zimbabwe.

The chairman welcomes five minutes after schedule. It surprises me, because through the time I have been here, I have got used to the pace is much slower than in Denmark. The only TV station in Zimbabwe has showed up, especially to cover the vice minister of health’s speech, in which she promise to hold a conference for people with muscular dystrophy and specialists, to discuss needs and problems.

Theater with a message

After the annual report and election of the executive board, the annual general meeting ends with a performance by a theatrical company consisting of people with disabilities. It’s difficult to understand the whole dialogue, when it’s presented in English and the two main languages: shona and Ndebele. But the message is clear: Persons with disabilities are not valueless, but possesses a great value.

It has been an incredible fascinating day, where members have shown heavyweight backing to MDAZ. It has given me the belief, that all the strong personalities I have met, will continue the work to improve the condition of life for people with muscular dystrophy.