Evelyn is a 20-year-old girl who was born with a hunch back (swelling in the back). She is the second in a family of 3. Evelyn lost her father when she was very young. Her mother struggled to raise her siblings;
“I can’t describe what my mother passed through to raise us; sometimes, we would go without
meals…”
Evelyn did not study much because of her condition. She only attended primary two. This is because her fellow students used to tease her so much. Even in her community, children were always very scared of her. According to her, children ran away each time they met her.
“My condition made my life so miserable; my fellow children were always scared of me. Some
children believed that if they played with or touched me, they would also get a hunch back; so I had no friends. What made matters worse was that even some adults abused me openly and called me all sorts of names. One day, a man who was throwing sexual advances at me called me a frog when I refused him. He said that that I am ugly like a frog. This did not go well with for several months. I started staying indoors for sometime…”
According to her, Evelyn was a burden to her family. Most of the time, whenever her mother and siblings went to the garden, she would be the one to stay home since she feared to be humiliated by other children because of her condition. To make matters worse, her mother remarried. She says that her step father would constantly tell her how useless she was each time he became drunk.
“My step father on several occasions constantly told me how useless I am. At one time he abused me that I look like a ghost. He did it several occasions and this did not go well with my mother. She divorced him…”
She learnt about RSNF through her local leader in her village. She believed that her dream had come true when she stepped through the RSNF gates. She worked hard while at school and mastered the art of knitting. After school, she started working in her sister’s shop. When RSNF gave her a starting kit, it was easier for her to start up immediately because she had somewhere to put her machine. When she left RSNF, immediately she started marketing herself in her community as a knitter.
“After a church service, I would talk to my fellow worshippers about the skill I had acquired. When the startup kit came it was a blessing; I embarked on the knitting journey. In just a month, I have already received several orders from different people…”
Evelyn has reason and confidence to smile now. This is because she acquired knitting skills at RSNF centre in 2023 and she feels useful. Thanks to her perseverance she dreams of a life as the best knitter in her community, and she is making her dream come true, step by step.
“I am looking at the future very positively. I dream of being the best knitting trainer in my area
because I want to help people especially youth with disabilities. Because it is so important to have friends and people who support you, we all need each other to grow. Look at me now, this is a hopeless situation turns into a hopeful future…”
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