Sylvia Chama

“I was involved in a car accident on the day I completed my college examinations. I thought I
had broken my legs and hands and would recover after one or two months. As the days passed
there was no improvement, and I could not feel any sensation from my neck downwards.

“My life was miserable, and I was desperate. I had no future as I was about to start my new life
after finishing my college education. I wanted to become a teacher.

“I remember when I was admitted in the hospital. There were people with disabilities who used
to come and talk to me. They were trying to create a friendship though I didn’t want to see them
because I didn’t want to end up in a wheelchair like them and I was avoiding them.

“One day I gave them my mobile number, and I thought that after I got discharged from the
hospital, they would not be able to see me again. After I was discharged that was when I started
facing a lot of challenges. I really needed help from someone who could tell me how to start a
new life in a wheelchair.

“One day I received a call from a person who wanted to visit me, and I remember the voice as
someone who visited me when I was admitted at the hospital. I was amused to see that they
had stayed in contact with me. I asked them a lot of questions which I could not have asked
anyone else. They were so open.

“They invited me to a group discussion where I learnt a lot from other peers. It helped me to
gain my confidence and realize that I can be who I wanted to be. When I went back home, I
applied for a job, and I am a teacher now!”