A Life in darkness, Matavire family’s struggle with visual impairments
PERSONS with disability often face marginalisation, lack of access to employment and life opportunities owing to their incapacity.
One often wonders what the daily struggles of a family comprising of seven visually impaired members include.
Whenever it is dark, we rush to find comfort and security in a place where there is light, but for the Matavire family nature and genetics was not so kind as it embedded darkness in their everyday lives.
Mrs Maria Matavire and her husband of village 18 in Feversham area, Chiredzi North who are both visually impaired, never dreamt that all their five children were also going to inherit the same impairment.
There is an adage which says “when going through difficult times, there are few friends to help you”, and this has made the family learn to get on with their day to day lives on their own, despite the huge risk of hurting themselves in the process.
“When I gave birth to my first child, after noticing that he could not see we took him to the Doctors in Morgenster and they told us to return with him at the age of five. We went back and they said they could not figure out how to help him regain his eyesight.
“With my second born, I decided to go to give birth in Mozambique where I was born. The doctors confirmed she could see when she was born, and when we were walking home from the hospital that is when my aunt told me that the baby could not see anymore. So this has been the trend, on all of my children. When they were born the midwives told us they could see but shortly after, a few days at most, the elders would confirm that the children could not see anymore. I have learnt to do things on my own. I cook, fetch water and clean on my own. Sometimes our relatives assist us but we have learnt to do things on our own,” Mrs Matavire said.
The couple’s wish is to know what caused the blindness of their children and maybe, if it is an illness that can be cured, they hope that maybe in future, their children will be able to regain their eyesight.
“If funds would permit I would be more than happy to know what caused the blindness and get to the bottom of this because with me, I could see when I was born up to the age of seven and my parents said measles caused the loss of my eyesight same with my wife she could see when she was born. For me, my wish is to know the cause of this demise that has befallen my family.
“Back then I used to own goats but I lost most of them from diseases so we would sell the goats to make ends meet and even pay school fees for the children who are at school at Copota School of the blind in Masvingo.
“At the moment it is a bit difficult for us. I do not want to lie though the future is bright because the children are registered under the government’s BEAM programme,” Mr Shackmore Matavire said.
Although relatives and neighbours seem to share their pain, they can only do so much.
“I am the grandmother and the family lives with me here. It is a sore sight to see my children and grandchildren like this. I have always asked myself what caused this but I have no answers,” Gogo Matavire said.
“If this family was going to be empowered through the establishment of a nutritional garden and a borehole surely it would go a long way to assist them because yes they might receive handouts but there is need for a permanent measure so that they live a normal life,” their neighbour, Mr Jephias Chiwanga said.
“As you can see the family does not even have proper ablution facilities. They go to fetch water unaccompanied in most cases two kilometres away and our fear as a community is that they might end up falling into the wells because we do not have a borehole close by and all the seven family members live in one hut. If only it was possible for an income generating project to be rolled out for the family, I’m sure their lives will change for the better,” another neighbor, Mr Amos Chiwanga said.
While people often take the ability to see for granted, the story of the Matavire family makes one understand or visualise the daily struggles of visual-impairment, while also appreciating one’s blessings, however, little they may appear.