Doroth Mkenda

Doroth was only 29 when her world shattered in an instant. A devastating spinal cord injury stole her mobility, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Alone with three young children, fear and despair consumed her.

The once-strong mother found herself drowning in hopelessness, questioning how she would ever provide for her children or regain her sense of purpose. “I cried every day,” she admitted, feeling invisible in a world that suddenly seemed to have no place for her. But then, she heard a story—one that lit a spark of hope. “I cried every day, but when I heard about an independent, inspiring woman in a wheelchair at Songambele, I reached out immediately—and that changed everything.” Clinging to that ray of possibility, Doroth took a step of faith. And that one decision changed everything.

Through peer-to-peer meetings and life-changing guidance, Doroth slowly rebuilt the pieces of herself that had been lost. Songambele didn’t just provide her with a customized wheelchair—it restored her dignity, her dreams, and her belief in a future. She found strength in shared stories, in hands that lifted her up rather than pushed her aside. She discovered a purpose greater than her pain, a reason to rise each morning with determination instead of despair.

For the first time since her injury, she saw herself not as a burden but as a woman capable of achieving more than she had ever imagined. Today, Doroth is not just surviving—she is thriving. She stands (not on her feet, but with unshakable courage) in front of a classroom, shaping young minds as a teacher. Fueled by her own journey, she is now advancing her studies to specialize in educating children with blindness, deafness, and intellectual disabilities.

From a place of hopeless tears to a future filled with boundless possibility, Doroth is proof that resilience, community, and the right support can turn even the darkest moments into a powerful new beginning