BY BETELHEM BEDLU
Her name is Meselech Jatano, and she is 20 years old. Her story begins when she was a grade eight student at Durgi School. In 2013, she was attending in grade eight and getting prepared for a regional exam. As part of the preparation, she and her friends have been taking a model exam in the school. During the middle of the model exam, she, suddenly, lost her vision. After the horrific incident, she and her family got confused and were visiting different health centres to get her vision back.
Unfortunately, all the efforts were in vain as it did not bring any progress on her vision status. As a result, she became disheartened and had to stay at home. For years, she lived in darkness with no hope. “I always cry as I think of the school I withdrew from, other children go to school but I did not go there because of my blindness. On top of that, at that dark and hopeless time, my parents died and I became orphaned”, she said with deep sadness.
She then started living with her two brothers. After a few years, one of her brothers joined the National Defence Force which led her to continue to live with the other brother. She went on saying: “At that time I used to cry a lot, even one day I tried to commit suicide because of the bitterness of my life. I suffered a lot in my life due to my visual impairment. During my darkest time the church people visited and encouraged me to have hope and have been praying for me.”
In 2019, one of the church members connected her with Zeleke Kefamo, who is a special needs teacher. Then, he brought her to the school and got registered for grade eight nevertheless she was not able to register since the registration time had already passed.
Zeleke was one of the cluster based special needs coordinators who got an inclusive education training facilitated by Water Education Economic empowerment and Medical Alliance (WEEMA). During the training, he fortunately remembered Meselch, and helped her to get the opportunity to join school. He visited her after the training and connected her with Durgi School.
Next year in 2020, she got registered in grade eight at Durgi School. The School Director, Abeje Achiko, who has been encouraging her to succeed in her study, supported her.
She then took the regional exam in 2020 and became one of top scorers in Durgi School. During that time, she came to Mudula Primary school twice a week and trained in braille in an inclusive centre that was established by Water Education Economic empowerment and Medical Alliance (WEEMA).
She got all the necessary support to get braille training at the centre from a special needs teacher. Moreover, many of the WEEMA staff has been also supporting her in different ways to continue her education.
Throughout the year, she was able receive orientation and mobility training, counselling, material support to ensure her success. She also got a recorder, braille stencils, braille paper, cane, and batteries for the recorder, etc.
After passing grade eight with good results, she joined grade nine at Hodo High school. Now she stands in a better situation where she has developed a great hope to succeed in her education. Through all the support she got from her teachers and students in the school, she consisted in her education. After accomplishing a great score and became one of the rank stud
she has entered grade ten. Owing to all the support she got from WEEMA and the people around her, she is very enthusiastic about her future. “I want to be a teacher and advocate for persons with disabilities.”
Meselech finally expressed her gratitude for the organization that supported her to continue supporting children who are locked at home because of their disability. “I am very thankful for all the support you provided in my life and restored my hope. You continue creating awareness in the community to not discriminate against children living with disability.” Currently, she is in a good position to succeed in her education through the encouragement and support she got to reach her life goal. ents and got prizes in her ninth grade last ye
In the last couple of years, WEEMA has been implementing an Inclusive Education project in schools in Tembaro Woreda. Training teachers and principals in inclusive education, establish and equip inclusive centres in four schools, provide materials for students with disability, aware the community on inclusivism mobilize community members and school community to outreach the children with disability and bring them to the school, provide school material for Children with Disability were the major activities of the project. Currently, over 250 students with disabilities came to school and started class. Four schools become disability friendly, inclusive and equipped to serve the students with disabilities
The Ethiopian Herald December 29/2022
