An encounter with Damaturu’s double amputee
Sitting calm in the house at Anguwan Nayinawa tsamiyan Lilo Damaturu was a 14 year old girl having no hands, but performs almost all the house chores with her two legs.
Aisha Mohammed Maji is a primary four pupil at Nayinawa Primary school Damaturu.
Though, it is common to see people with one disability or the other taking to the streets to beg for alms, the case of Aisha is different as her parents opted to see her in school despite their financial difficulties.
When our correspondent caught up with Aisha in Damaturu on Wednesday evening, she immediately brought out her school bag, after which she used one of her legs to open the bag and the other one to remove an exercise book.
Aisha also held a pen using her leg and wrote a three line sentence. She frequently uses her toe and the middle finger to perform every task.
Kanem Trust reports that Aisha can write both in English and Arabic and both legible for any reader to comprehend.
“Despite being disabled I am comfortable among my peers in school. They carry me along, we play and eat together. My parents have been very supportive too because since I knew myself I have no hands.
``I am happy they decided to enrol me in school instead of being pushed into the street to beg for alms.
“My mother guided me very well. Though having no hands I learnt to do most of the things myself.
``I find it difficult to copy my parents, teachers and friends because I observed they could easily use their hands and do things, but out of wisdom I have been trying my best,’’ she added.
Talking about the life of her 14-year-old daughter without hands, Malama Rabi narrated that Aisha was born without any disability.
Rabi said the tribulation happened to the family when a passing car hit Aisha and smashed away both hands when she was only two years.
“It was a tragic experience to the whole family but glory be to Allah as He secured her a life. Her father tried as much as possible to provide her with everything a child would need,” Rabi said, sobbing.
She said apart from writing Aisha performs house chores like sweeping the floor, washing dishes and clothes and taking care of her younger ones all using her legs.
Rabi urged government and Non-governmental organizations to support Aisha’s education as well as avail her with basic tools and skills to do small business at home.
“We are much grateful because we have been taking care of her over the years, but I am afraid if her education would continue. I am thinking ahead of time, for instance the school she is attending is not far from the house, there is also a Junior Secondary School close to us we can enroll her after her primary school but there is no any senior day public school around and we cannot afford the fees at a private school,” the mother said.