Last week, I visited Menagesha. Menagesha is a rehabilitation facility which helps children during their post-surgery rehabilitation. Most of the children face a permanent physical disability and the center specializes in working with these children. The center includes physical rehabilitation services, a department which builds wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, and assistive footwear devices. The children are also given daily instruction both in subjects such as English and arithmetic but also in life skills and art. The children typically arrive at Menagesha immediately after their surgery and remain there for a period of 4-6 months for post-surgery rehabilitation.
I toured the facilities, visited some of the children, saw where the wheelchairs were built and where the prosthetic limbs were designed. I also visited the handicraft department which instructs children in the areas of basket-weaving, tapestry work, sewing etc. with a view to helping these children develop some skills/trade that they can use once they leave. Most of the children return to their families, but many children are without family and often return to guardians or other institutions post-recovery.
I was absolutely amazed. Menagesha is located about 25 kilometers outside of Addis and it feels like a beautiful oasis far removed from the pollution, noise and inaccessibility of the city. I don’t think I have had a chance to mention this before, but virtually every building in Addis Ababa is inaccessible for persons with physical disabilities. Speaking with the Program Director of Cheshire Services Ethiopia, I learnt that people and companies who are constructing buildings in Addis never give consideration to making their spaces physically accessible to persons with disabilities. This situation is truly deplorable, further isolating disabled people from participating in the fabric of Ethiopian society – be it employment, education, access to public services. This physical inaccessibility is emblematic of the attitudinal barriers that persons with disabilities continue to face which manifest themselves through individual and systemic discrimination of the most heinous nature. At Menagesha, much thought has been given to accessibility issues with ramps, curb cuts, and wider doorways being prevalent. It truly is a wonderful place.
Starting on Saturday, I will be teaching basic English and music to the children at Menagesha on Saturday mornings. I am looking forward to the prospect of teaching again, as I used to teach children’s classes in Saskatoon on human values through music, theatre, and storytelling. It has been about 6 years since I taught these classes, so it will be a bit of an adjustment jumping back into it. I am really looking forward to doing a project that is completely non-law related. I will keep you posted!
The big issue will be getting to and from Menagesha which as I mentioned is located 25 kilometers from Addis Ababa. I was told that I could catch the employee bus with the Menagesha employees in Addis which leaves from the central hub known as Maskal Square. It will pick us up at 6:45 AM on Saturday and drop us off at 1 PM on Saturday. It should be an adventure. I will keep you posted.
