Interview with Disabled Women Leaders from Ghana

Monica and Josephine in a canoe at the Weichau Hippo Sanctuary

First, can you describe the regions you are responsible for?

Josephine: We work in the three northern regions. In the Upper West Region, GSPD has 500 women. In the Upper East, we have 300 women, and 400 in the Northern region.

Especially here in the Upper West Region, most of us live in mud houses. Few villages have lights. Most use kerosene lamps. Some in villages fetch water from a pipe, others from a well, but some in rural areas use pond water to drink. When you drink from rivers and ponds, there are health problems -- you get guinea worm and what-not. But we also have members whose parents are wealthy, so they live in bungalows.

What kind of work do the women do?

M: Ok, the disabled women in towns and villages here, they are seamstresses, weavers, petty traders, basket weavers, doormat-making, leatherwork, shoemaking, and catering.

J: But others don't do anything. They don't have any skills. They may not be sent to school. They are just told to sit. And the family will be providing food and maybe some old clothes from the other family members. Some of the families who are very ignorant about disability, they just don't do anything for that disabled person. It's only a few who help. So the family normally eats, and gives some to the disabled person. And when you see the food is not much, they just hide it from them. And the person goes without.

Let's talk about the disabled children. What's the situation now in the villages?

M: They will say of the disabled children - especially when they are newly born -- that that one is not a human being. It's a fairy, a spirit, a snake, and they will find a way of doing away with that child! Others, they will not kill their child but they will hide the child. They wouldn't like anybody to know, because the person will say, oh, you are not a good person, that's why God has given you such a child with disabilities. And only later through neglect that child is killed off.

J: And this happened in Bolga. A man had his disabled daughter in the room for 27 years, before she was sick and she died. He never took her to a doctor, so it was only then that we heard of her.

Sometimes when others get a child with a disability, they consult soothsayers - people who claim that they can see the future of somebody, or foresee things that have happened, or are going to happen. So when they consult these people, sometimes they give them some concoctions to come and give the child. They say if the child is not a fairy, the child will not die. But if the child is a fairy, the child will die.

But what does that mean, a child is a fairy?

J: The child is not a human being. It's a beast or animal. It came to the house to hurt the family and destroy it. Either the father or mother will die, or there will be poverty, very serious poverty, and the family will not get food to eat and things like that. But the child, being a fairy or beast, he can survive because he can sneak out into the fields at night and eat, and then come back. So he will be ok, while they will be suffering.

M: They think that they will never suffer enough. The child is a curse. So it's better that they get rid of him, and they will have their happy home.

What can you do to help make that situation better? What can anyone do to try to prevent those kinds of killings?

J: What we as Women's Wing leaders are doing is advocacy. Coming on radio, inviting the traditional leaders and talking about these things. Because some disabled children will normally be brought to these chiefs. Everybody in the region is listening to what is being said on the program. We invite the chiefs, so that while we are talking, those in the area will hear the voice of this village chief. Later maybe somebody who was listening on the radio, or who gets to know that something was happening on the radio, will bring a disabled child case to him. Then the chief will try and talk to them that what they are thinking about that child is wrong. It will help to, if not to stop it totally, it will reduce.

M: And we go out for outreach at the zonar [village] level, so that we educate them more. When we go, we don't only talk to the disabled people. We invite the chiefs and what-what there, so that they themselves will also listen and then talk to their people. So that they will be able to take care of disabled children among them in their communities. So that they will not be abandoning them or neglecting them. Because they are also human beings. And you ought to take care of human beings. It's God's gift. You are not God! If you cannot create life, how do you destroy life? It's very bad. So we educate them on all of this.

What are some of the problems that your women are facing?

J: The attitudes that people have towards disabled women make them feel weak, or like they are not human beings. Some who have movement problems, don't want to move so that anyone will be looking at them. So they just stay in the corner of their house from morning to evening. And they don't even want to come to meetings for people to see them. But since we have started with the Women's Wing, they are bold to come out to meetings, and I always tell them about the experiences I have been through. I tell them, if this can happen to me, it can also happen to you. And when it is happening to you, do something about it. Because it is happening to all of us.

M: Another problem is marriage. Being a disabled woman, unless somebody who is already married will come to you, they don't want to marry you. You won't see a single man coming to say I want to marry you. And sometimes the men, they almost want to hide and come to you. They won't come in the daytime, oh! They will come in the night! And do you think I will allow you to sneak and come to me because I'm a disabled? No! We say come daytime so that everybody will see you! Because we are also human beings like you! It's only that part of the body that is not functioning effectively. It doesn't mean that we are ignorant! We have the knowledge. We can reason. Why should you look down upon us? So we don't accept that.

D: Do you talk to the women and the girls about these things, like how they should behave with the men?

J: We talk with them, and when we go on radio, we say it. Because if you know you wouldn't like anybody to know that we have a relationship with you, or when we become pregnant you'll deny us, then don't come! Don't come! Go away. We are not just to be taken for granted.

M: And sometimes the man does want to marry you but the family will not allow him to marry you.

J: Because their son is bringing a liability to them! And they will not take it up.

What does that mean when you say liability?

J: You can't do anything to support the upkeep of the family.

M: You can't fetch water, you can't cook. And they normally think you can't produce children! You're not going to have any children. You're not going to help in sewing, milling, whatever. So it will bring problems to the house. It's a mistake.

J: The other women who are married in the house think that when you come, they will do everything for you! Fetch water for you, go to farm, and when it is time for harvesting, they will harvest food and bring, and you will be eating! You are going to be sitting in the house, always just sitting in the house.

That's their belief. But is it true?

M: It's NOT true! But they all have that mentality. When a man is coming in for you, they just disagree. Because they don't know that you can do. They just assume that you can't do.

So what can be done about this situation?

J: Yeah, we have had radio programs where we talk about this. And after the program, when people see us, those who know us, they say hey! I'm glad to hear what you say. I wanted to marry you and you refused! You think men don't want to marry you? Ok. Today I'm coming! I'm coming to take you to my house.

D: So when a disabled woman is taken as a second wife, how will that situation be for her?

M: Oh, hell. Hell. Because your rival will not even like to see you. "How can you keep a husband with a disabled woman?" You know? She will not accept you. She will become a disturbance to you, the disabled woman. And even if you prepare food, she will say "I won't eat it."

J: She will even try and say to the man, if you bring this lady to the house, that will be the day that I am packing out.

M: I will use myself as an example. I married a man who was having a first wife. Actually, the men are not always honest. He didn't tell me that he had a wife. You see, I was about 20 years old and I didn't know what marriage was about. Anyway he comes at daytime, even go to anyplace, go to drinking bar and what-not! But he never told the wife. The wife was not aware.

D: You weren't aware he had a wife? And the wife wasn't aware of you?

M: Yes! He didn't tell me that he had a wife! So until I was pregnant, then I started hearing information here and there. We were not yet legally married. So I started asking him questions. And he said, "Oh, you don't worry!" The woman hijacked him to go and have their wedding! I confronted him. I said it's better he should go and be with the wife, and I will also find my way. Later I learned that they already had 5 children, so mine was his 6 th born.

So did he help with that child?

M: No, no! He has stopped. Since I decided to stop him, he stopped taking care of the child. But as time goes, I know what to do to him. I will deal with him proper to get his support for the child. I will send him to Women and Juvenile Unit. Any time a man has a child with you and is not taking care of his child, you can take him to WAJU.

And do you educate your women about this?

M: Yes. We bring it to them.

Going back a bit, what made you want to have this responsibility? What made you want to be leaders in your women's wing?

M: As a disabled woman, or a disabled person, I'm sure others are also suffering the way I am suffering. That is why we want to become leaders, so that we will help others. And so that in future, those coming up will not suffer like we are suffering. It is because of ignorance that we are suffering now. But now that we have also been enlightened, we have to enlighten others to know what disability actually is.

J: As for me, I realized that within the overall organization [GSPD], with men and women coming together, women were not at the same level. We didn't contribute. Not at all. When we were together with men we'd just sit there and listen and get up and go. But with my education I knew I could talk, and allowing the men to do all the talking, it was not proper. In whole, our division was not proper. So, I set out to use myself as a role model. When it was election time, I contested. And they gave me the secretary position of the Bolga district of GSPD. Then as I improved in the work, I contested for the regional, and they gave me the secretary again. Then I was traveling out to take minutes in the national meetings. So later on I realized that anywhere we went to do our advocacy work, or to consult people for support to do our programs, mostly the people were interested in helping women. So I decided to form the women's wing.

Also I realized that it's because of the men that the women are always keeping to themselves. Because sometimes when I want to talk, even being an executive, there will be some men who will even try to shout me down. I always say no, I've not made my point. Seeing that the men are trying to shout me down made the women in my district not want to talk! So I decided to bring the women together. I started the Women's Wing in my district. I was talking to them, inviting them for meetings, leading them to do certain things, and trying to teach them certain skills and advise them that if they will not continue with their education, they should go to the rehabilitation center where they will be learning a trade.

Formerly when you asked of their opinion, they would just say, "Whatever you decide will be final." But now this one will bring suggestion, this one will bring suggestion, then the 3 or 4, and we finally come out with one or two, to use it to go about the problem. Now the women are coming up. And some of them are even accepting elected positions. By so doing, they are now getting better and they are convinced that they are also human beings.

And they are now bold enough to come out to meetings and also air their views.

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