Meet The Artists

Maybe this is a calling for me, having been given a disabled child. Through having this child, I have been able to know many more people than I would otherwise have; and I have been able to attend all kinds of workshops and through those learned a lot. For me it is very special to have a disabled child, because the Lord has trusted me to be able to take care of him. After all, I am "Mai Edwin!" ("mai" translates "mother of")

It is very, very hard to take care of a disabled child. Suddenly relatives and neighbours don't love you anymore when you have a disabled child. Even your own husband may start to hate you. And if you want to go downtown by bus with your child, passengers don't want to sit next to your child. People think that maybe you are a witch or that you practice witchcraft through that child.

After the death of my husband, I went for HIV testing. The test was negative. I went again when all the women of our Batsiranai group went. And again the test was negative. But now I want to go one more time to be really sure. Because when my husband was sick, we had no idea about HIV. At the testing place they told me, "If you do something with a boyfriend, you have to come for testing again and again. But if you just stay by yourself and you are negative now, you will be fine." So I just want to be by myself now. But is really hard being a single mother. Batsiranai really helps me. What I really want is for my children to be educated. Secondly, it would be important for me to have a house of my own. At times, it seems nobody but me loves Nyengaterai, my disabled child. For example, my deceased husband's family only love Nicole, my first born daughter. African people think it is all the mother's problem when you have a disabled child. So it will be very important that she can stay in her own place later.

Unfortunately the pay for the work on the flower farm here where my husband works is too low. We get at most one million five hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars ($3 USD) per month. But this month they only gave me five hundred thousand ($1), because they say they have to keep some for electricity. I now get around twenty million dollars making handicrafts ($40) if I work hard every day. It really is such a good help to our family, and it enables us to give food to our children.

I joined the Batsiranai women's group in June of 2005. While I do my work there, Neil now goes to Batsiranai school in Dzivarasekwa (DZ). Every day we take a tractor ride to D.Z. extension. Then we walk to D.Z. It takes about two hours to get to the Batsiranai centre. The tractor picks up workers to work on the flower farm, and brings them back again in the evening. At that time we fetch a ride back for part of the way, and the rest of the distance we walk back home again. It's a long road, but it is worth it. (addendum: In 2007 Batsiranai bought Mai Neil a bicycle so she no longer walks, and now earns over $100 + benefits for her family).

I want to tell you something really nice: During the past months I have been able to save a little each time from the money earned through Batsiranai, so that I myself was finally able to buy a T.V. just now. It made my children very, very happy. And it is only because of my disabled child that I am here, that I have work, and that I can buy food for the family. If I did not have that, I would have nothing.

When I gave birth to Takudzuwa, I believed in witchcraft. I once visited a Nanga with him to see if it would help and he would start to sit up, but it was just a waste of time. Then I attended workshops at the hopsital and I learned it was not witchcraft that had made him like that. It may be witchcraft exists. But with regard to disability it depends on how your pregnancy goes, or your labor and delivery, or on what you eat that determines whether you have a disabled child or not.

We in Batsiranai feel united as a strong group of women, And I think our husbands now know and feel that too. That is why they do not run away from us like they would commonly do if you have a disabled child. And right now, I am always happy because of Precious. It is because of Precious that I have money now. And it is because of Precious that I am part of the Batsiranai group and that I can live a better life. Before she was there and I was only together with Baba Precious, our life was not so good at all. We did not have enough food or anything. But now we do!

In 2000, Ethel was born. After her birth, life became very difficult for me. From birth, Ethel was sick all the time. It became too much for me to take care of Arthur as well, so we sent him to live with his grandparents. Ethel soon needed a drain shunt, but it got blocked often, so she had to go to hospital all the time. On top of everything, Baba Ethel became sick and died of AIDS within three months. Then I could not pay the rent anymore, and I tried to get a small, cheap place in Dzivarasekwa. But each time people saw Ethel, we did not get accepted. Disabled people here are not liked by anyone. But since Ethel was born, I have been participating in the Batsiranai women's group. And that has meant so much to me; Even when housing continues to be a big problem, finally it was the mother of one of the other women in our group, Mai Edwin's mother, who helped me to find a room. That is how it goes: we really do support each other in this group. And there is always a new solution suddenly.

I joined Batsiranai and the difference that makes in our life is very big. Before I joined Batsiranai, it was very, very difficult for us. My own mother had to help buy us clothes, because we were so poor. But now with the money from Batsiranai, we can manage better ourselves and there is a lot of improvement. When we got our bonus last week, I did not buy furniture or something like that, but I got Maize seeds. Being part of Batsiranai also helped me very much to dare to go for HIV testing, because counsellors came here to talk to us and after that we all felt strong to go together. One thing that does remain difficult is: I thought I had found another room, but when I told the landlords that I have three children, they did not want us anymore, especially because we have a disabled child. People don't like that. But I'll keep trying. And if God continues to bless Batsiranai, at least there always will be some money to keep so we can live better.

Edith was diagnosed with three problems: Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome and Microcephalis. It really took time for me to accept this. Relatives of my husband started to talk badly when they heard about Edith and said: 'We don't have people like Edith in our village. So you better go back and live with your own mother again and take Edith with you.' They blamed me for having her. So I went to live with my mother. My father passed away while I was with my mother and my mother moved into my brother's room, so we all shared his space. After two months my husband came and got me and now, my husband and I have stayed together. Being part of Batsiranai also helped me very much to dare to go for HIV testing, because counsellors came here to talk to us and after that we all felt strong to go together. One thing that does remain difficult is: I thought I had found another room, but when I told the landlords that I have three children, they did not want us anymore, especially because we have a disabled child. People don't like that. But I'll keep trying. And if God continues to bless Batsiranai, at least there always will be some money to keep so we can live better.

I am HIV positive. Batsiranai really encouraged me to go for testing. It was my first time to dare to do that. When I was told my results, I was hurting very, very much. But by now I am learning to accept my situation. I talked to Baba Biana before being tested and asked: "Why can we not go together?" It was that very day that he ran away from me. One of my biggest concerns and constant thoughts since I am HIV positive is: Who will take care of Biana when I die? No one of my relatives will. They just ignore her. I am the only one who will feed her, and will bathe her too. No one loves Biana. Sometimes I think: maybe Batsiranai can perhaps take Biana in when I die. Because I now think I will live only for a short time. I do not have much time left. So I really worry about Biana... Fortunately, right now, because Biana and I are part of Batsiranai, I can buy food for the whole family, and also medication for me and Biana It is because of her that I am in the Batsiranai group. And without Batsiranai I would not know what to do. Also because of Biana I now know my HIV status, and still have a chance to think about how toimprove my future life...

Mutsa was born in 2000. I had complications with high blood pressure during my pregnancy and was induced into labour two weeks before the due date. It was very hard; I was in labour for three days. It turned out that Mutsa had the cord around her neck. She started having seizures right away at birth, and only cried after four hours. Four days later we were sent to the CRU, and there we were told that Mutsa had Cerebral Palsy. In January of 2005 Mutsa started school at St. Giles. We were very happy for her, because she has made such good progress through the physiotherapy she receives there. On May 14 -- four months later -- she started to walk! And we never knew if she could ever walk! She now needs more help with her speech, but she is even beginning to talk. Another beautiful thing that happened to us in 2005 was: we had a new baby girl, and we call her Makanaka ("Wonderful")