By Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi.
When Aisha Usman, a 30 year old Polio victim was listed among the beneficiaries of mobility carts donated to persons with disabilities in Bauchi State by Bruder Hilfe Sozial Development Initiative, she cried for joy while recalling the long years of hardship and denial she had endured.
Prior to receiving the cart, Aisha was seen crawling around the distribution venue with her two-year-old daughter. Her mood however changed as she beamed with smiles amid sobs when she was lifted onto the new cart.
Said she: “In my 29 years of crawling, I never thought of something like this coming my way. I have lived with polio since I was a year old. I grew up crawling and always had things tough.
“The society is not friendly to us. We face more neglect when using public toilets, crossing the roads, and climbing the stairways of a building. I am not the type who beg on streets, all I want is to be considered fit with a good mobility cart, to, at least, move round and fend for my family. Now that my prayers have been answered after so many years, a new life just begun for me,” she said as she thanked the donor NGO for changing her life.
While speaking with The Guardian, President of the Germany-based NGO, Bruder Hilfe Sozial Development Initiative, Mrs Mary Bamigbe Bruder, said she is partnering with the State Government to cushion the hardship faced by physically challenged persons in the State.
She said: “This is our first phase of intervention in Bauchi State. We are covering a total of 90 beneficiaries carefully selected by the government. Subsequently, our other interventions will focus on health and education. A lot of these beneficiaries are victims of polio and they have suffered in life.”
Meanwhile, Governor Mohammed has assured the physically challenged persons of better days ahead. He said to achieve the desired objectives, he would set up a Board of Agency for Persons with Disabilities in the State.