By Wezzie Gausi:
Growing up, Bridget Banda saw herself in the angelic snow white uniform of a nurse.
Hospital corridors smelling of medical drugs, the awe of holding a syringe and the joy of seeing a patient discharged from hospital were things she thought would be her life.
Bridget was born with a growth deficiency called dwarfism. People with such condition are short and mostly, defying their age. Bridget, now 41, is one with such a condition.
As a young girl from Wimbe area in Kasungu district, Bridget was a brilliant student in class and was always among the top performing students.
- Advertisement -
Bridget built in herself taller dreams than herb stature. Her mother told her to aim even higher. And she did. She was a nurse in the making.
Dream short-lived, robbed
Banda said she survived the sneering of friends who made her feel unacceptable and challenged to survive in society.
“It was not easy for me when I was in primary and secondary school. My fellow learners could call me names and labelled me a baby not fit to be in school because of my height.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
“Many were the times that I wanted to quit school and be home. But the urge to be better in life made me realise about the goal ahead of me,” Banda said.
Time came for her to seat her Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations (MSCE). Bridget scored 15 points, which for a girl who had to “wobble” her way to school and facing ridicule from peers was no mean feat.
Applied for a Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery programme to Kamuzu College of Nursing. And she was enrolled.
“The words people uttered that I could not pass examinations gave me anger within and prompted me to work hard so that I prove them wrong,” she said.
Banda says many people did not believe what she had achieved and most discouraged her from continuing with school.
When she arrived at the college of her dream, Bridget experienced some life gutting experience that has left scars on her.
“On getting to school, I was surprised by the way I was welcomed; It was different with how other students with ‘normal’ height were welcomed,” Banda said.
She said the welcoming itself was the first signal that her presence was not welcome at the institution.
Then came the shocker! After attending classes, she was called by the colleges administration who bluntly told her that “people with dwarfism are not allowed to study nursing.”
This, according to her, was a moment that crushed her spirits. To her, the question was: Why me? The answer was her physical disability.
“That was the lowest moment in my life. I had suicidal thoughts and I couldn’t eat for days. Thinking how an institution had to shutter my dreams not because I was unqualified but because I had a disability,” she added.
Dejected, Banda went back to her village in Kasungu where she stayed for a year doing nothing.
New lease of life…No job
Banda said noticing that her situation was becoming unbearable; she decided to seek help from some non-governmental organisations that, luckily, intervened.
“It was through these organizations that I got my plight back when the government offered me to do Social Sciences at Chancellor College.
“I went to enroll for this course which I didn’t want but I didn’t have a choice for people like me have no choices. I stayed at Chancellor College for four years and then graduated,” Banda said.
After graduating she said she was so happy that she will change the story of her family.
In her mind she imagined herself getting a job as soon as possible but not knowing that was another ambition that will not come to pass.
“Ever since I graduated I have never gotten a job in my life despite being qualified and having a degree. I have attended several interviews but I am never picked.
“I remember the other time I was invited to start work, but when I reported at this organisation, I was told that I was not fit to do the job due to my height,” Banda said.
She explains she has done all she could to be employed but nothing has happened.
Banda said she has just given up on ever getting employed again as most employers in the country are discriminatory.
Too “small” to be recognised
According to memberclicks, there are about 651,000 people with dwarfism in the world. However, in Malawi the population is bunched among that of people with disabilities.
Because of this, Banda said, their problems and challenges are treated as an afterthought.
“Most building in the country have no facilities for people with our condition. We are even deprived of seemingly basic amenities such as urinals and toilets. Some of these facilities are not friendly to people like us as they are too high to reach. This, above all, we are denied employment career opportunities as in my case when I was supposed to be a nurse,” Banda said.
On people with dwarfism not being allowed to study nursing, National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM) president Shouts Simeza conceded that it is true, however, he said the issue is not about discrimination but about what the job demands.
“Nursing is ‘discriminatory’ in a sense that we consider that the job requires tasks such as lifting people onto beds and others,” he said.
The Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi (Fedoma) Acting Chief Executive Officer Simon Munde said it was sad that people with different kinds of disabilities are being subjected to such discrimination.
He said having a disability is not an inability that can disqualify someone from getting employed and doing certain courses of choice.
“What happened to Banda is not something to write home about. We condemn it in its totality and we believe that our colleges can do better on this.
“We also urge employers to provide equal opportunities to all people without looking for disabilities. We have seen many people that have disabilities doing well in society, better than abled ones. We believe what happened to Banda will not repeat itself in future,” Munde said.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa said what happened to Banda is uncalled for and inhumane.
He said this country is a signatory to different umbrellas on human rights hence such happenings leaves a lot to be desired.
“Everyone is supposed to enjoy their rights freely. There is no justification for denying someone her course of choice based on the disability. What happened was bad and we believe the government should compensate this lady by giving her employment because she suffered enough already,” Kaiyatsa said.
The Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Jean Sendeza said it is against the law to discriminate against one another in the country.
She said her ministry has policies that focus on inclusiveness.
“For this nation to achieve MW2063 we need to be serious in issues of inclusiveness. We will not get where we are if we are leaving other people behind due to disabilities.
“My ministry will not tolerate employers, institutions that discriminate against those people with disabilities. Let everyone be given equal opportunities and express themselves freely,” Sendeza said.
