Persons with Disabilities of Cameroon: Galabe

June 26th, 2016 by Rachel | Tags: Disability, Peace Corps, Persons with Disabilities of Cameroon, Photography | 1 Comment »

During the last seven months of my Peace Corps service, I am featuring photographs and stories of several persons with disabilities living in Cameroon. All the photos are part of a series called “Persons with Disabilities of Cameroon.” The goal of presenting photographs and their stories is to create better awareness about the plights that persons with disabilities face in a developing country. When I return to the US, I hope to exhibit this series in a gallery and publish a book to educate others about persons with disabilities living in developing countries as this topic is so rarely discussed in the media.

Galabe, a kind gentleman with a big heart tells me a moving story that breaks my heart.

“I have a physical condition. My right leg is paralyzed. I became disabled at 2 years old. Disability was caused by Quinamax injection,” said Galabe, “I was being vaccinated to be protected against malaria.” I was told that in the 1960’s, healthcare workers in Cameroon thought Quinamax could protect people from malaria but this was never true.

“When [my parents] discovered [my disability], they thought it was caused from witchcraft. After some time, two other people from the village had the same defect. The complaints came in nationwide and the effects of the drug and the research was done it was discovered that it was the injection that causes paralyses which progresses to polio,” said Galabe. When he mentioned the word “polio,” I think he means to say that paralyses progresses to a condition that akin to polio. Polio is an illness itself caused by a bacteria named poliomyelitis. One cannot acquire polio from the Quinimax injection.

“My family never neglected me like other families neglected persons with disabilities. So they treated me same like any other persons. They sent me to play football with the children. When we are going to the farm, we go together and work together,” said Galabe.

“When they were teaching me, I could produce my own food with my disability. They taught me how to wrap my leg around the stick to be able to till the soil,” said Galabe.

Galable finished primary school but he never had the chance to go to secondary school because the coffee market went down and thus, there was a crisis. His family’s farming focused on coffee. After primary school, he took care of his father’s cattle as a cattle grazer for three years. Then he moved from Southwest region to Kribi, a beach town in the South region of Cameroon.

“One of my uncles was living Kribi and took me in to stay with him. My uncle took me to training in metal work for two years. I did training workshop the owner training person demanded very high fee which the uncle was unable to pay. Then I switched over to do business work,” said Galabe.

After some time, he moved to Bamenda for business opportunities as his business was not going well in Kribi. Then he got married in 2004. He had five children. Twins twice.

His wife left him on June 7, 2015.

“I married her on June 7, 2004. We, persons with disabilities, always take proper care of the wife. And you know many women like to pick on the husband. Because of the environment changes, she met other women who would not respect their spouses, and so she copied it. She was told she was very beautiful and did not have the right to marry a person with disability. When any man wanted to approach the wife, [they asked] ‘why do you want to do with this man with impairment. It’s [better] to be with us.’ From there, she started to disrespect me and then she left,” said Galabe

Then Galabe shared with me about his struggles in becoming a single father of five children.

“The work is not too easy. First, I pass through stress. There are a lot things people say giving reasons why the wife leave me with the five children. Some would say it’s because she was not mature. Others [falsely] say [I] gave her substance for her to fall in love with [me] and now the substance is finished and that is why she left. I had met with many people to give me counseling. Then I said to myself ‘God cannot give me a job or work that I cannot do.’ Then I also accepted the responsibilities. I accept my lord. I know whatever is above me my lord will take it. Then from there I programmed myself. At 4 am, I have to get up and get ready for kids so that they will go to school on time. It was not easy to meet [the demands] with the children and the business. When I leave to take them to school, I come back to wash their dresses before coming to the market. Then by 12:30 pm I have to go back to school and take them back home. Give them food. Wash their uniforms to prepare for tomorrow so that they will be neat. So that inconveniences me to be at the market, [but I do go back to the market in the afternoon.] I [sell internet credit] and do beadwork. Also it makes me live from hand to mouth. The little you get, you spend it all. Like for example, the children needs food before they go to school. They also need school needs and their health and there is not enough money to handle the situation. I cannot invest to spend on their needs. I do not even have pleasure time to visit friends. Because when she left, the younger twins were two years and two months. They’re now three years.”

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Galabe and his five children live in a one room home.

“It was not too easy with my situation. I took the challenge because many people encouraged me for the work I am doing. They encouraged me to continue. And God is taking control. And my stress is [becoming less]. My only inconvenience is living in single room with five children because of lack of finance,” said Galabe.