By MWABA GOODSON
I am an albino man with low vision and I was born on 23rd March 1992 in Chilubi district of Northern Province of Zambia. I am the fourth born child in the family of 6, where they are five sisters who are poor and not working and one man who happens to be myself. I was born from a very poor family with no acceptance by my biological father and the society where I was born never accepted me. That made my mother to live an unhappy life. At some point some members of the community wanted to kill me for ritual money and that worried my mother so much.
Due to the difficult circumstances my mother went through, she was forced to find ways and means to take me to a school where I could be accepted, so she had to seek guidance on where to go so I could learn and stay safe without stigmatization. At the age of 10, the Sisters of the Child Jesus helped my parents by giving them information on where I could go and learn. It was at the St Odilia, Mporokoso school for the blind. On that fateful day, I met my fellow children living with albinism in Kasama where I was taken by a cousin using a bicycle as means of transport. Sadly, I was the only child with sores on my skin due to lack of proper lotions, I felt neglected and that day I came to St Odilia in Mporokoso and started learning how to write and read Braille materials. Honestly, it was a difficult moment for me, in that at first, I couldn’t adapt to the environment. However later I became very good in almost all the subjects such that I was liked by every teacher. When I was in grade 8, I was chosen as the head boy for the school, and during my term of office, there came a white man by the name of David Moffat who came to offer support to the school. Fortunately, I was again chosen to give a speech and the speech I gave touched him profoundly. Mr. Moffat suggested that he would offer me a sponsorship from grade 10 to college if I performed well at grade 9 examinations. I was overjoyed and did extremely well and became the best student in northern province.
Thanks to Mr. David Moffat and his wife Christine, who adopted me as their child and helped me to go to secondary school and up to college without any help from my family who had completely overlooked me as a nobody. After I completed my education program course, poverty came upon my life that I couldn’t even afford to have a meal. I had to move from one place to the other, in order to search for work. I asked the sisters of the Child Jesus to help me by providing me with any work to do in order to earn a living. They gave me a position teaching at my former school for a small amount of Zambian kwacha (currency) just to buy food not even clothes.
I worked there for 1 year, and then by God’s grace I was given a chance to teach at the
St Odilia school. I worked there for a good two years. I thought of getting married so that I could keep my old poor mother, who loved me so much. I was very fortunate to find my wife, Litress Simatembe, who is a beautiful Tonga by tribe lady. She cares very much and loves me regardless of my poor status.
I wish to thank the sisters of the Child Jesus for the support they gave me during my wedding day in a Catholic church in Mporokoso. With the help of Mr. and Mrs. Moffat, I am happily married even though I am earning little to look after my old poor mother, my wife and our firstborn child.
I wish also to give my profound thanks to Chalice for giving me work with them. I am very grateful for the support given by Inverness County Cares and Chalice to my fellow albino children at school. I give thanks especially for the wall fence which is vital to protect them from ritual killings which are common in the area where the school is located.
May the good lord bless every hand that is here to help vulnerable children like me in the society of different continents.
Inverness County Cares (ICC) is a local charitable organization, founded in 2012 and based in Inverness County, NS, Canada. ICC works in partnership with Chalice.ca, a Canadian charity, based in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Chalice provides guidance and assistance to help ICC provide a better life for the children at the Kawambwa schools. The Kawambwa Project involves two schools for albino and visually impaired students, in Northern Zambia. Inverness County Cares always welcomes new members. Individuals who wish to donate, can use the donate button on our website https://invernesscountycares.com When using E-transfer, please include your mailing address for CRA tax receipts and a message of thanks from ICC. E-transfer address: [email protected] or send a cheque to Inverness County Cares, 5414 Route 19, Judique, NS, Canada, B0E1P0. Taxation receipts provided for USA and Canada.
