Louis, a Motivation peer group trainer in Malawi

Louis became a wheelchair user after a mini bus accident back in 2004. When she attended our peer group training in 2010, her life changed dramatically.

“The peer group training made a huge impact on my life because it changed me quite a lot,” Louis told us. “Before the training I was not able to go out and mix with people. But now I’m enjoying my life – I go to parties, I go to weddings. I have a good network of friends.”

The biggest achievement of my life is that I am able to accept and adapt to my disability and live a normal life. As you can see I’m as happy and I’m as beautiful as I used to be – nothing has changed. I still see myself as a person who can do a lot in the community.”

Louis did so well at peer group training that Motivation asked her to become a trainer. She happily agreed.

“Being a trainer is helping me even more,” says Louis. “In the process of education others I am reminding myself to be a role model to those I’m working with.”

We’ve blogged about the South West Scorpions before – a club in Bristol that provides children with and without disabilities with the chance to play wheelchair basketball. Here’s the club in all its glory in a film made free of charge by Rataplan, a fab new film production company.

We’ve heard David’s story many times, but it still inspires and moves us. We hope it does the same for you.

We raced to buy the Guardian on the relevant day, only to find it hadn’t made the final cut. Very disappointing. But we know Motivation supporters will like it and that’s really all that matters, after all!

The man seated is Fred, who works for Motivation in Uganda and is currently seconded to the Gulu Disabled Persons’ Union. It’s rumoured that Fred is one of the best pool players in Gulu (and this can come as a surprise to opponents from out of town who wrongly believe that because Fred’s a wheelchair user, they’re at an advantage).

When the photo shoot was over, David interviewed Fred about his life and work. Fred described how, when he was 13, he fell out of a tree and sustained a spinal cord injury. He told David that for a long time he struggled to manage his disability. But things changed when he was in his late teens.

“It was not until I was 19 and attended the first peer group training organised by Motivation that I learnt what my disability was, I learnt all the challenges that would be part of my life,” said Fred. “But the most important thing of all, I learnt how to manage the challenges. This was my turning point in life.

“And from there on, I have been engaged in supporting other people that have spinal injury. My job satisfaction now is to see the change of life in persons with disabilities. And once I see this change, it gives me the joy and happiness to continue serving persons with disabilities.”

Benson, photographed by David Constantine from Motivation

After the accident, I was in hospital for two months.

Benson in his Motivation Rough Terrain wheelchair

This chair makes me feel good because now I am able to access every place I want to go.

When you are moving in this chair, you feel you are someone to be respected.
This chair is very good – it is very fast and it is comfortable; it also looks nice to sit on. It is very easy to push, even tipping. When you get any obstacle the way you are going, you can tip and can just pass.

My life has gradually been changed by Motivation.
I want to thank Motivation for all the support they are giving us. I also wish they are to continue because there are so many people still getting this spinal injury. For me, I’m doing well now. As I’ve said before, I have the access to everywhere I want to go because of this wheelchair.

We’ve got to be cautious – we’d be foolish to sign up to every shiny new social media platform out there. Some of them, after all, won’t take off.

But we’re hoping Audioboo will. It’s a site for quick and easy audio file sharing and we’ve recently signed up.
We’ve kicked off our Audioboo adventure with Oscar from Uganda enthusing about his Motivation Rough Terrain wheelchair. We’ve got some words for International Women’s Day, and – because we’re full of the joys of spring – we’ve captured a few seconds of the fabulous bird song we can hear from our windows (the joys of office life out in the sticks).

Go to our Audioboo page or check out our ‘boos’ below. Happy listening!

First up, Motivation’s Inclusion Programme Co-ordinator Sharmini Constantinescu writes about her friend Madhubashini Wimalaratne.

Sharmini (left) and Madhu

Madhu and me

“I met my dear friend and colleague Madhu seven years ago at a workshop in Colombo, when I was running an employment programme for persons with disabilities.

Her awesome personality caught my attention. She is blessed with great oratory skills and she made a very positive impression on everyone, motivating the other trainees through her positive outlook on everything. She saw beauty and humour in every situation. She stood out from the crowd not because of her disability but because of her determination to move on from every challenge that was presented to her.

Madhu successfully applied for the position of receptionist and telephone operator at Motivation and was trained on the job in no time. Today, she is the Project Officer for our programme that supports businesses in Sri Lanka to be inclusive of people with disabilities.

Madhu is also a well-known media icon and has been invited to speak on many talk shows and for media campaigns. Young, committed and energetic, she is a wonderful role model and advocate for disability.

Being a woman and having a disability usually counts for double discrimination but Madhu has conquered much of it. Despite all the challenges put in front of her, Madhu has made every post a winning post. She has been there for me through thick and thin and she continues to be one of my most faithful friends and a magnificent source of inspiration.”

Next up, Motivation’s Jen Howitt Browning on Nik, who plays wheelchair basketball with the South West Scorpions. (Want to hear Jen talk about Nic? Listen on Audioboo)

An inspiration on and off the court

Nik (left) with South West Scorpions coach Jen

“On International Women’s Day I’d like to salute Nik for her amazing attitude and her ability to get stuck in with all the boys and show them what a true athlete is.

I wasn’t there the day Nik first started with the Scorpions but my husband Mike, who was coaching, told me that when Nik walked in, all the boys’ mouths fell to the floor. Yes, she’s a pretty girl, but they should have been more excited to know how lovely Nik is – how nice and bubbly and warm and enthusiastic she is.

It was Nik’s first time playing basketball, let alone wheelchair basketball. She struggled at first because she wasn’t used to using a wheelchair (her disability is to do with her knee and she walks most of the time). But she just got stuck right in.

Since then Nik’s been at training pretty much every single Sunday. She’s got so much quicker and so much better – I’ve been impressed at how hard she’s worked to improve her skills. She’s playing with boys who are bigger, stronger and faster than her and she can hang with them and give it back to them when they dish out attitude – but still be incredibly nice about it!

At Christmas, Nik took the time to write Mike and me a card telling us how much the club means to her and thanking us for all that we do in organising it. I was quite moved by it!”

Liz (middle) with Faustina on the right and Abdullah who we didn't want to crop out!

“I just can’t say enough about Faustina.

Even before I met her I knew I was going to like her – I could feel a warmth in her just from her emails.
My expectations were right. From the moment we met I knew we were going to get on. The Tanzanian sense of humour is very similar to the Irish sense of humour, and Faustina and I had such a laugh over things.

She has this amazing vivacious smile, a face just full of enthusiasm and energy. She’d cheer anyone up. Her posture is really good and she sits very well in her wheelchair. She always looks so well turned out and she’s extremely attractive which is very good for people to see – not just women but men too. They see an attractive woman, not a woman in a wheelchair.

Faustina is a wonderful role model because she’s so full of life and get up and go. She shows that there is life after spinal cord injury.

We went to see a good looking young guy who wasn’t independent. He was pushing himself in his wheelchair but his brother was doing everything for him: lifting him into the wheelchair, washing him, dressing him. Faustina said, “Now look here, you’re a young guy, of course you’re able to do transfers…” (A ‘transfer’ is how you get in and out of your wheelchair.)

Within one week the guy was transferring perfectly. His brother no longer does all the care for him. I was amazed at how one visit can make such a huge difference and what an impact Faustina can make. She’s a very special lady.”

Liz and some of her nurse colleagues

 
We caught up with Dublin rehab nurse Liz Croxon, who has just returned from a two-week Motivation volunteer placement at a hospital in Tanzania. Liz was sharing her skills and experience with nurses who up until now have had little – if any – formal training in caring for patients with a spinal cord injury. Here’s Liz…

“I was working on the orthopaedic ward, where there were 93 patients but just 57 beds.
The remainder– mostly canvas stretchers and the odd trolley – were put wherever there was space. It was cramped and overcrowded, but it didn’t really shock me. You just have to get on with it.

I didn’t want to feel like a nuisance.
So when I introduced myself to the nurses, I explained that I wasn’t there to criticise them at all, that I wouldn’t just be observing, that I’d be working as part of the team. That seemed to go down well.

One of the biggest challenges was that the 16 spinal cord injury patients were in among the rest of the patients on the ward.
I explained that it would be better if they were all in one ward, because it’s very difficult to nurse spinal cord injury patients when they’re in among orthopaedic patients. They need a different kind of care.

Liz does some on-the-job training

The nurses hadn’t received specific training in caring for patients with a spinal cord injury.
So the idea was that I’d run three workshops. But often with as few as four nurses caring for 93 patients at a time, and some working up to 80 hours a week, the nurses just didn’t have the time or the energy for formal workshops. So I supported them on the job, getting across the basics of skin, bladder and bowel care regimes.

The nurses did have knowledge of pressure sores, but they didn’t realise how quickly they can happen with spinal cord injury patients.
Although the nurses were turning their patients, because they’re so busy, they weren’t turning them regularly enough. I gave them some advice on turning patients to prevent damage to the skin, how to position the arms and legs, and how to make sure the neck was adequately supported.

I was amazed at the patients’ relatives and how much they wanted to help.
No matter what you said, they’d take it and make sure they did it. So if the patients weren’t getting enough fluids, they’d make sure they got enough fluids. They absorbed any bit of info you gave them.

It was quite frustrating when we’d run out of basics like gloves and wipes for cleaning.
I’d have to go off and look for them, and it would take ages to find things. One day I needed some lubricant for a catheterisation and I had to go to the casualty department with a sterile glove and get a squirt of KY Jelly in it. You just had to improvise!

Tea break and photo opportunity!

We had trainee nurses too, and they were great students.
They were very keen to learn and they all took notes. That was good to see – the next generation of nurses having a real interest in spinal cord injury.”

Look out for more from Liz in a blog post we’re planning for International Women’s Day next month!

You can download our poster here:

Motivation Bristol runs poster

If you don’t have a printer and would like us to send you a copy of the poster, drop Marianne a line on kent@motivation.org.uk or call her on 01275 464 012.

Many thanks for your help!

The adventure begins: Richard and Rachel in South Africa

“Weeks after returning to the UK, it’s still not wholly sunk in that I’ve driven the length of Africa!

Our route took us through Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park in South Africa, into the sparse and spectacular wilderness of Namibia, briefly into ‘Africa’s success story’ Botswana, the amazingly friendly and beautiful Zimbabwe, the rural wilderness havens of Zambia, through Malawi and past its sea scaled lake, into Tanzania with its wonderful mountains and rolling grassy plains, archetypal Kenya including chaotic and frenetic Nairobi, on to remote, rocky, desolate Lake Turkana and through fertile Ethiopia by way of the Omo Valley, ultimately the home leg, from Addis, the deserts of North Sudan and the antiquities of Egypt’s Nile Valley. The route out of Africa involved a RoRo ship to Italy for the Land Rover and flights for us to meet it.

Not one flat tyre!

When planning our trip we’d been determined to adhere to the common, but well-founded cliché of needing to ‘give something back to Africa’. After much research, we decided to support Motivation.

We chose Motivation because of the obvious resonance with my spinal cord injury personal history and my professional background in occupational therapy. Additionally, the charity has supported several organisations in Eastern Africa along our route. To boot, like us they’re based in the South West and on visiting them we were impressed by the personable welcome and friendly efficiency emanating from all at the Backwell office. There, we arranged to meet up with one of Motivation’s partners, the Kilimanjaro Association of the Spinal Injured (KASI) in Tanzania.

Richard and the KASI crew: Prosper, Faustina, Zacharia and Hilda

We met Faustina Urassa from KASI and the organisation’s directors Zacharia Massawe, Hilder Shoo and Prosper Kiluwa at the modest KASI office in Moshi. All posts are voluntary and the committee is elected by the 240 or so members in the Kilimanjaro area.

Supported by Motivation over a number of years, KASI acts as a model for other fledgling self-help groups in Tanzania. Their scope is wide and includes visiting newly injured people in hospital and later at home, educating them and their families about living with a disability, as well as providing peer group training in week-long ‘camps’.

It is sobering to see how hard people need to work to approach standards which are taken as rights in the UK. Prosper told us that Dala Dalas (minibus taxis) will not take wheelchairs and buses charge double fares. Consequently he gets a taxi at $10 (USD) from his house to the office. It was something else to think about – people had travelled in at significant personal expense, just to welcome us.

With simple, well-informed interventions KASI is saving lives, improving outcomes and raising awareness in communities. Their optimism, professionalism, altruism and enthusiasm is incredible.

Even though KASI is struggling with inflationary costs, increasing demand and competing governmental agendas, the effect their efforts have on well-being, survival and successful integration with communities is plain to see.

This was brought home to me later in the trip when we reached Addis Ababa. Here it seems there is currently little to no support for many people with disabilities. It is not uncommon to see paraplegics, without wheelchairs, dragging themselves along the pavements, with nothing but a pair of discarded flip-flops on their hands as their only aid.

Victoria Falls: 'absolutely gob-smacking'

The truth is that life in developing countries can be brutally harsh when something like disability strikes. One rehabilitation manager told us about the dilemma of how to get people to focus on rehabilitation, when their real and pressing concern is getting enough to eat. “We are often dealing with the poorest of the poor, and I really mean that,” she said.

For the wonderful privilege of witnessing Africa’s obvious attractions, there is a starker learning. It makes sense for those who can to help those who get struck by life’s random lightning. People such as the guys at KASI are bound to be those most motivated to develop their own local, sustainable, and relevant solutions. Motivation is a great channel to help give disabled people in the developing world just the chance they need.”

You can read more about Richard and Rachel’s trip on their website.