How two businesswomen are giving hope to mothers raising kids with disabilities

In many societies around the world, disabilities are sadly regarded by many as a curse. Families are torn apart because of children with disabilities and the burden is mostly placed on the mother, left to fend for the child. Diane Mukamulisa, a resident of Nyarutarama’s Kangondo 2 village in Kigali, is a mother of four. Her husband abandoned her and her children because two of them, aged nine and five, were born with a disability. Their heads are bigger than normal, and their mother has to take them to the hospital every once in a while to drain fluids from their backs. Mothers at Itetero school recieve utilities from Events Horizon Mukamulisa relies on begging to provide for her family. Her house that was in shambles posed a health threat to her children as it was very close to the toilet. In May this year, Events Horizon Ltd came to her rescue after it embarked on a social enterprise and organised a charity event ahead of the International Mother’s Day to support children living with disabilities and create more awareness on the plight of these mothers and their children. Events Horizon Ltd is a company that creates events on national and international celebrations. They relate the events to social responsibility to create awareness around the causes. It is owned by two ladies, Eva Gara and Zuki Ngxiki. Eva Gara and Zuki Ngxiki, founders of Events Horizon Ltd At the fundraising event, different companies including Kigali Marriott Hotel, BRD, Access Bank, Satguru, BPR, MTN, Park View Courts, Du Hope, Hotel des Mille Collines and Slice and Cakes raised Rwf 1.5 Million to cater for the wellbeing of the children. With the money raised, Gara and Ngxiki were able to move Mukabalisa from her former house to a three-room house and paid her rent for six months. They also gave her house utilities and food items. Her challenge, however, is income to sustain her and her family. “I’m delighted because the life I was living was very difficult. I used to move with my kids to beg and it was not easy for me. The house that we used to live in was very close to the toilet and it was not hygienic for my children. My life has improved since these two ladies came to my rescue, although I need more capital for my business to sustain my income,” she says. Events Horizon Ltd also gave utilities to nine other mothers raising kids with disabilities. Some of the mothers have their children at Itetero School in Busanza, Kicukiro District, which was set up in 2015 by two young people who had a heart for children with disabilities. The school has 19 children aged 4 to 16. Clementine Musabe, 41, has a 12-year-old disabled child who goes to the school. She says the school has helped raise her children and reduced on the burden, and she appreciates what Events Horizon is doing for mothers like her. “Parents who take care of children with disabilities live in misery because of the stigma. Some of the women are abandoned by their husbands and stigmatised by their relatives. This project gives us hope that we and our children also matter to society because the blame is always on the mothers,” she says. Another mother, Olive Murekatete, has a child with a growth disorder and was mistreated by the father, who later abandoned him. “This school treated my child well and my son is actually improving. All my relatives neglected me because of my child. For people to reach out and give us some of the things we need shows that people actually appreciate our effort,” she says. This is just the beginning of what Events Horizon is doing to support the women. Gara pledges that the company will support them in whatever way they can. “It can be very hectic to raise children that grow normally but imagine what it’s like to raise kids with disabilities. They rely fully on their mothers for everything yet they have to work to provide for their families. This is why we had to be involved in improving their lives, as mothers ourselves,” she says. Ngxiki, the co-founder of Events Horizon Ltd, also believes that as women they have a responsibility to help resolve some of the challenges faced by other women in society. “This project means so much to me as it has given us an opportunity to play a role, however small it maybe, in alleviating the hardships our women looking after children with severe disabilities go through. This was our way to say we honour them for their strength and what they do tirelessly for their children, and we appreciate them,” she says. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

Lifestyle

How two businesswomen are giving hope to mothers raising kids with disabilities