The Maragua Experience

James Njoroge is a 26-year-old single man. He lives in Maragua District with both his parents in a one roomed mud house.  He is the third born in a family of five, and is provided for by his mother who is a peasant farmer and earns her living by tilling other people's land.

In 2005 Njoroge was admitted in hospital for pneumonia where he started developing Para paresis of both lower limbs, allegedly because of being injected repeatedly on the same spot. After a while Njoroge was not able to walk, and therefore started undergoing physiotherapy at Maragua District Hospital. Due to lack of finances to purchase a wheelchair, he had to crawl to the hospital or be supported on a bicycle by well wishers. 

We got the opportunity to visit Njoroge at his home in Maragua, on our first Chariots of Destiny outreach programme. We drove for about eight kilometers from the main road directed by Ernest-volunteer physiotherapist of chariots of destiny. We arrived to find Njoroge seated outside his house with both his parents all very cautious and intimidated by our presence. After settling down, we let Mrs. Marenge and Mr. Kihia take the stage as there was a language barrier difference-they only speak "Kikuyu".

Njoroge was quite silent at the beginning and through his father, who did most of the talking, we learnt about the challenges and struggles that they have and are facing. Besides the stigmatization brought on their family by members of the society because of living with a disabled person, he explained the mother's struggles of how she would carry him on her back to the hospital and that was after spending the whole morning farming on people's land for a very small fee. We noticed the tattered clothes worn by Njoroge and got to see the mud house which he calls home. I got to empathize with him looking at his lack of bare necessities like water, electricity, accessibility, proper clothing and shelter, necessities I know are more than essential when living with a disability.

We finally got to learn from Njoroge that he loves to read and has a dream to run a small retail business which he hopes would be possible with a mobile wheelchair.

We left Maragua feeling both overwhelmed and challenged to make a difference in Njoroge's life! Provision of reading material, clothes and shoes would go a long way as we establish a way to help him accomplish his dream.