“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” This is one of the famous quotes of Helen Keller, a deaf-blind American author, and educator.
Robert M. Hensel is a Guinness World Records holder for the longest non-stop wheelie in a wheelchair, covering a total distance of close to 10 kilometers. He is also known for his saying, “My disability has opened my eyes to see my true abilities.”
Based on a-2013 joint report of the World Bank and the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 15 million persons with disabilities in Ethiopia, representing 17.6 percent of the total population. A vast majority of people with disabilities live in rural areas where access to basic services is limited. Many of them depend on family supports and alms for their livelihoods.
Like Helen Keller and Hensel, there are many PWDs in Ethiopia who have worked hard and become successful. What matters most is the kind of support given to the community.
Etaferahu Ayele, a resident in Addis, can be a good example in this regard.
She earns a living by making eyeglasses finely crafting them as per the prescription of physicians.
She was first admitted to Misrach Handicraft Training and Rehabilitation Center – an organization specializing in offering training of various sorts to PWDs to help them become self-reliant.
She had received a-two year training on how to make eyeglasses after graduating grade twelve. Etaferahu served the Center for 17 years.
The wealth of experiences she emulated so far has now allowed her to establish her workshop. “I trained my sister and my son on how to make eyeglasses,” she said.
“The supports of the Center are fruitful, it has integrated me with society, and I’ve started supporting the community in one way or another.” Such Centers should not only be supported, she said, adding that more and more centers have to be established to reach PWDs living in remote areas.
“I used to feel that I was the only individual with a disability, and it was at the Center that I had understood the reality. Hope and optimism instilled into my mind when I had seen many people with various kinds of disabilities engaging in handcraft.”
The Center was established in 1982 (1974 E.C) in Addis Ababa by Swiss-based NGO – Swiss Evangelical Nile Mission (SENM), currently known as Service Along the Nile International.
The Director of Misrach Centre Wendaferaw Assefa told to this writer that professional-training courses are preceded by an aptitude test. The courses last for 2 years. “We have wood + brushes section, optics section (frames and lenses), sewing section, weaving section, wood engraving and puzzle section, and cards section (various kinds of hand-made enveloped cards: made with materials such as sand, cotton, straw; photographic cards depicting daily life scenes; hand-drawn or printed cards).
For the last 37 years, the Centre has been giving training and rehabilitation services for PWDs to make them self-reliant, he said.
“And also, the Centre has “Braille School” to train Amharic and English to persons with visual impairments, he said.
Around 170 pupils are now attending courses, according to him.
After they get done with the training, the Center offers financial supports ranging between 1,000 Birr and 1,600 Birr. Besides, it grants equipment and tools worth 12,000 Birr to help them establish own businesses.
The Ethiopian Herald August 16, 2019
BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED
