Menagesha Home Case Studies
Misganaw's Story
Misganaw is fourteen years old and the fourth of nine children. He contracted polio at the age of eight and had to crawl on his hands and knees for over six years due to polio paralysis. His father, the sole breadwinner for the family, struggled to provide for the many hungry mouths in his family. Remembering these difficult times, Misganaw said "when poverty is allied with disability, living on earth becomes impossible".
Without the help of the Menagesha Rehabilitation Centre, Misganaw's future would have been bleak. He was admitted to the centre in November 2006 after the centre's outreach team visited his local area. He has since undergone two surgical corrections on each leg followed by physiotherapy. With the aid of crutches, he is now able to walk for the first time. As a result he has gained the independence we all take for granted.
"Thanks to the Menagesha Rehabilitation Centre, I can now walk...they gave me new legs" - Misganaw.
Hawa's Story
Hawa is a fifteen year old girl from a rural district in Western Ethiopia. She has eight siblings and her parent's livelihood is purely dependent on farming. At a young age she contracted polio and both her legs were affected by paralysis - as a result she was forced to crawl on her hands and knees for 13 long years
Hawa's parents felt humiliated by her disability and fearing the social stigma, never sent her to school or allowed her to play with children of her own age.
She had only ever dreamed of walking and couldn't believe it when the Menagesha Home Outreach team visited her village and referred her for corrective surgery. Since this time, she has undergone two operations on each leg and has been given intensive physiotherapy and custom made callipers and crutches.
"The most precious thing I got from the Menagesha Home is the perceptual change towards my disability. I have learnt a great lesson as it is not how one walks, but how one's mind works that makes a person great". - Hawa.
Hawa has now returned to her home and has joined school and has made many friends in her neighbourhood. She now hopes to become a lawyer.