Van hope for dream of going to school
THE North Geelong community is rallying behind a 16year-old Afghan refugee living with a severe disability.
Morsal Bahaduri was born with a spinal disability that has left her in a wheelchair and unable to walk.
The girl could not attend school in Afghanistan and fled, with her father, for Pakistan in 2015.
They moved to Australia in May this year after their visas were approved.
Abdul-Khaliq Bahaduri is desperate to give his daughter a better life but said she had missed hours of classroombased schooling because of lack of access to disability support.
Mr Bahaduri said Morsal only had access to an adult non-motorised wheelchair and could not go to school unless he pushed her 2.8km from their Bell Park home to North Geelong Secondary College.
He made the gruelling journey with his daughter every day until he suffered a heart attack and spent many days at Geelong hospital.
“My daughter cannot stand and walk, and in Pakistan she could not attend school,” Mr Bahaduri said.
“Now, we have to push her wheelchair to school, and it is a wheelchair that is very uncomfortable for her to sit in her for long periods.”
He said he had tried to get access to transport and a wheelchair through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, but had been unsuccessful.
“She needs access to study, she needs access to continence equipment, she needs a walking frame to try and stand,” Mr Bahaduri said.
Moved by the story of the father and his daughter, locals Sef and Chris, who did not want their surname published, are behind a community effort to support the family.
It is expected a van will be donated to the family to help Morsal get to school.
“Seeing them suffering every day made us want to help,” Sef said.
“She wants to go to school. This is her first opportunity, and she doesn’t have a vehicle.”
Mr Bahaduri said the vehicle, which they expected to receive next week, would make a big difference to the pair.
He said Morsal wanted to learn.
“She likes painting, she likes simply going to school and learning English,” he said.
“She wants to be more independent.”
After a series of questions from the Geelong Advertiser, a National Disability Insurance Agency spokesman said Morsal’s plan had been approved.
“The NDIA has been in contact with the Bahaduri family . . . and will continue to work closely with them to ensure they receive the disability-related supports they need,” the spokesman said.
The NDIS does not fund the purchase of a car, but can fund the extra cost of modifying a vehicle.