Kakwmakat Ishaya is a woman with disability who became a person with disability when she was a child, she was playing with other children, a boy picked a nail and threw it at her and it hit her at the back which injured her. At first, she could not even crawl, but after much medical care she was able to walk with the aid of crutches.
Years after the incident, her father died. Life in the village became difficult for her, so her aunty, from her maternal home decided to take her and she stays with her in Pankshin town. While she was there, her Aunty’s husband enrolled her in primary school and while I was still in primary school, the man died. That ended her dream of being educated.
In this interview with Bulus Baba Izang our correspondent in Jos, she told us how she had to go into vocational skills to earn a living instead of begging for alms.
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TQM: Are you doing something for a living?
I knit sweaters for sales using knitting pins (needles), I also sell chin- chin. This is what I do to earn some little income that sustains me.
TQM: Do people discriminate against you as you relate with them, especially as you do your business?
No, maybe, because, I don’t crawl on the ground. I don’t face any discrimination.
TQM: Are you married or are you into any relationship?
I am not married but I have a son, the father of my son died some years ago.
TQM: Is your Son in school?
He has finished Secondary school but could not go further because of financial limitation. Even when his father was alive, he was not providing for us, it was out of the proceed of my little business that we have been managing.
And now that things are so difficult, we are only thinking of how to feed ourselves nothing more.
TQM: Have you ever received financial support from anywhere to do business?
No, for now I have not received such support.
TQM: If someone, somewhere will want to assist you, want kind of assistance would you want?
I will need money to increase my business and to help me finance my Son’s education to higher Institution.
TQM: Thank you for your time
You are welcome and I appreciate
This story is part of The Qualitative Magazine Project “CONNECTING OUR VOICES TO THE WORLD”-propagating the potentials and challenges of Persons with Disabilities in Plateau State supported by VOICE NIGERIA
