Noelah Msuya Shawa: A woman with a golden heart

 

 By Simbarashe Msasanuri

Disability is not inability goes an old age adage, but the road to success for the society’s disadvantaged is not all rosy as communities continue to frown at them. Fueled by traditional beliefs that linked disability to curses or witchcraft, people living with any kind of impairment are at the receiving end.

And, in most cases, they suffer double tragedy as despite trying to grapple with their disabilities they suffer discrimination and abuse. But, all hope is not lost as with the coming of modernization and civilization, light is beginning to shine at the end of a very dark tunnel for disabled children as the number of people with hearts of gold continues to surface.

One such lady is none other than Noelah Msuya Shawa, who has sacrificed her life to educate and offer a shoulder to lean on for children living with various disabilities and ailments.

Noelah, a Special Needs Education Teacher is the founder and the Executive Director of Child Support Tanzania (CST), a Mbeya-based organisation that caters for children with varied abilities and potentials, and gives opportunity to those with hearing impairment.

The school is also a refuge for children with visual impairment, children with Albinism, children with physical difficulties, children with mental challenges, orphans and vulnerable children and the ordinary (normal) children who do not have any disability or difficult circumstance.

 “What motivated me to start such a school is how I saw children with varied disabilities struggling in schools I taught in Singida and Mbeya, and, I also got inspiration from the fact that I grew up seeing my uncle, Pastori Mayani, from Tabora, who is a person with disability yet able.

“I saw that I was in a better position to change the plight of many such children living in our societies. The launch of the inclusive policy in Tanzania also inspired me to start such a center commonly called Early Childhood Assessment and Development Cente (ECALD) which happens to be inclusive,” said Noelah.

According to her, Child Support Tanzania was registered in 2008 as an NGO and in 2009 opened ECALD Center which is the school.

“I started the centre by using a cottage at my father's house in 2009 and by 2010, I started renting the premises that now house the center and the offices, located on plot 55/61 Block T Iyela Ward, Mbeya City. The centre has over 175 pupils while others have gone to other schools after finishing Early Childhood Development level,” she added

The school has continued to grow and as of now it employs 14 staff members, including a deaf teacher who teaches hearing impaired children and trains other teachers sign language. It has a board of 10 members headed by Hon. A.S Kapunga, the Mayor of Mbeya City Council and Mr Julius Kaijage as his vice- chairperson. The parents’ committee is headed by Mrs. Salome Kigosi a parent who has a child with disability in our center.

Noelah’s work has not gone unnoticed as many people and organisations have not only appreciated the good work but also offered a helping hand.

According to her, AbleChildAfrica a UK-based charitable organization has been in the forefront in funding and giving technical support to the organization.

“The Mbeya Business Forum, an umbrella group that brings together companies and individuals in the business sector in Mbeya like Coca Cola, SBC-Pepsi, TBL, Mbeya Cement co., SEEDco and hotels like Hill View Hotel, Beaco and many others have extended their helping hands.

“Other individuals have also been touched by our work and came forward to support us in any way they can. This is encouraging as it enables us to continue providing services to the children under our care and attention,” she said.

Though the organisation has made strides in changing the lives of many disadvantaged children in Mbeya, this is without challenges. Noelah admits that the going has not been smooth and sacrifice and hard work were the solutions.

“The challenge I face as a person is mostly in sustaining the organization in case of small or no funding for the project activities planned.  The organization faces challenges such as irregular funding, negative attitude of some section of the society towards children with disabilities and not having its own premises to house the school and the offices; we are currently renting two houses where we do our work,” she revealed.

 On the issue of negative attitude and discrimination against such children, Noelah said that the society should open up to the reality that children with disabilities did not ask to be born like that or the parents of such children did not wish their children  to be with disabilities and so it is a society issue.

“The society should embrace the social model of disability that calls upon everybody to have a role to play in making the world a better place for all human kind through their contributions materially, financially and morally towards the disability course.

“For instance, fixing a bad road gives a child/person with disability on a wheelchair an opportunity to move in his/her community with ease. Helping the blind/deaf in crossing a road or to reach to a given destination lessens the effect of the impairment on the person/child. Contributing funds for building a school or learning materials for children with disabilities supports the parents who feel burdened by the costs of maintaining a child/person with disability under their care,” she said.

She went on to advise parents of children with mental challenges and the ones with disabilities in general to exercise patience and give them the privilege to mix up with others and not to lock them in houses.

“It may be challenging as some sections of the society are still not receptive to children with disabilities but through bringing the children out, the society will begin to appreciate their existence,” she added.

Born Noelah Msuya on the 23rd of December 1978, in Mbeya Region, to the family of Godfrey Msuya and Hildagard Msuya (both late) who were from Mwanga District Kilimanjaro Region, she dreams big over the society’s disadvantaged.

“My dream is one day to have an inclusive society where children with disabilities are studying in inclusive schools with other ordinary children in Tanzania and that an inclusive society where persons/children with disabilities live happily in one society without discrimination based on disability or difficult circumstances,” she said.

She also reveals that she plans to build a comprehensive inclusive school that accommodates all needs of children irrespective of their abilities, potentials and social background.

To prepare her for the future Noelah’s parents enrolled her at Sisimba Primary School, Mbeya before joining Sangu Secondary School, in the same region.

“After that, I joined KifundaTeachers' College in Iringa and thereafter continued with studies at Patandi College, Arusha for a certificate course in Special Education Specializing in Children with Intellectual Impairment. And, after teaching briefly, I joined Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda for a Diploma course in Special Needs Education from 2006 to 2008,” she said.

Married to Gabriel Shawa, Noelah tries to balance her private life and office work through separation of responsibilities.

According to her, this is achievable through putting each of her staff members to perform their given roles as expected of them and that gives her time with her family.

“I try not to mix up my family life and work so that no side is affected. The Executive Director that I am in the office, I do not carry it home where I am a wife and mother,” she said.

 Noelah thanks her family for unconditional support. “I would like to thank my husband for moral support. He encourages me and he is interested in what I am doing and is determined to see me succeed.

“My husband also assists me financially, for example in 2010 the organisation went through a rough patch and we did not close shop because he helped us out of the difficult situation,” she said.

Noelah also added that her company, TBL, helps her organisation with a paper-based technology where they make special chairs for the children using cardboard boxes and wheat flour.

She also thanked TBL, for its sponsorship such as that of the Day of the African Child. The company, through its Grand Malt brand sponsors her organisation by helping with the printing of T-shirts among other things.

“My family has been so supportive of my work morally and financially. They gave me family land to cultivate crops for food for the children in my school free of charge. Some have contributed their professional expertise towards my work and not forgetting the financial contribution to have the centre continue moving.”

 She also appreciates the supports she gets from parents and guardians of children who attend her school.

 “In this era of NGOs just coming up and closing shop the next day, many people have tended to lose hope. They have also been of great assistance in leading the way through co-operating with the staff on how best to help specific individual children with  given disabilities or special needs.