MAP reflects on its battle against disabilities

On December 9, Malawi joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. A number of organisations working in the area of disabilities came together to send out a unified message for the betterment of lives of persons with disabilities. Among those organisations was the Malawi Against Physical Disabilities (MAP). Our Staff Reporter BRIAN ITAI caught up with MAP general manager ALEX DZIKAMBANI to share insights about the organisation’s journey. Excerpts. 

 How did MAP come into being?

 We have been around since 1981 when there was a polio epidemic in the country. We started as Malawi Against Polio and we started as a response to that epidemic—to take care of those affected by polio. A research had to be conducted to find out the extent of the problem and also find out if we could get the epidemic to rest. Within five years we had to come up with a vaccine in conjunction with the World Health Organisation which worked wonders and Polio was eradicated within five years. But a lot of people had already been affected and we had to do a survey to ascertain how many were affected. It was really so many people. A programme then started in the Southern Region to see what the people needed. Some just needed a little surgery, clutches and special shoes for them to walk again. Some were affected severely who needed wheelchairs.

 How has the journey been since then?

 It was kind of an outreach programme. As soon as we went to the communities one thing that came up as a need was assisting devices. People needed clutches, bracelets, boots and shoes. We had to come up with a workshop which was set up in Kanjedza. We continued assisting the people until we realised that our clientele was limited as there were no new clients. Coincidentally, around 1985 we had an influx of mini-buses on the road which increased carnage on the road to the extent that they were nicknamed ‘mdulamoyo’.  And we did not have anywhere to cure the disabilities that emanated from those accidents. Another problem came in with children being born with congenital deformities, cerebral palsy and also change of lifestyle. We saw a lot of people getting affected with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and stroke which brought in some kind of disabilities. This was the time when government said: you were successful in fighting polio, now let us see if we can handle these other types of disabilities. So, in the late 90s we changed the name from Malawi Against Polio to Malawi Against Physical Disabilities. Our mandate was extended to all people and we opened clinics in all district hospitals.

 How has been your growth?

 After we opened the clinics we were offering physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and some who needed special devices. But those who were severely affected we had nowhere else to take them to, and we came up with the idea to build a rehabilitation centre. That was how the Kachere Rehabilitation Centre came about. At first, there were only 36 beds and for someone to access one, there was a lot of pressure. At least now we have upgraded to 60 beds.

 What are some of the challenges you have encountered?

 Staff retention. You might appreciate that the College of Medicine only came in 2010 and we have been there from 1981. Previously, we had been using only expatriate staff. We had to see how we would sustain our programmes by involving a lot more Malawian staff than expatriates. We started a training programme here whereby we could bring medical assistants and nurses. Because there were already medically-oriented, within a year, they attained the knowledge that we wanted. We trained them on the job and employed them to be helping the physiotherapists.

 How did the halting of your outreach programme affect your scope of work?

 There is a big problem out there now. We had a lot of international donors. All these donors, before they came in, needed assurances on the sustainability of the programme whenever they left. Government committed that when they leave, they would take over. When they eventually left we went to government to ask for the way forward. Government recognised that what we were doing was important and they started subventing the operations of Kachere Rehabilation Centre. They also started funding the salaries of the staff. These were the only areas that government was able to assist. We lost the most important wing of our project and that’s the outreach programme. When the donors left. we continued for some years, but we could not sustain it.

 How much is the need for this programme out there?

 We have to appreciate that 80 percent of our population stays in the rural areas and that is where most of our clients are. Previously, we were able to see between 150 000 to 200 000 people in a year. Some which just needed some hands-on type of treatment, others assisting devices and some needed to come here and be treated intensively. Now, all these people are suffering. They need us there. Children are suffering as they are not able to go to school. Adults cannot access their gardens and others cannot go and socialise. We have the capacity to go there. We have the human resource, but we just need the money that will take us back there. 

 How do you rate the current need of the service?

 We have seen a lot of media reports when it comes to accidents relating to motor bicycles. When people fall off motor bicycles they sustain a lot of fractures. These people need us to assess them and maybe refer some of them to our rehabilitation centre. Or just give them advice how they can take care of themselves on a daily basis till they recover fully. This is just one type of accidents but there a lot more other disabilities out there.

 If you met the President or the Minister of Finance for a minute, what would you tell him about MAP?

 I think we need a proper discussion with people at that level. I think the most important thing I would do is to book for an appointment so that I can go with my documents there as evidence that we are ready to do the job, all I need is money.  So if the President or the minister is listening to me now; We are ready to do the job. This is very important for the people of Malawi. Let us not appear to be impeding on other people’s rights by denying them access to the services they need.