By Firmain Eric Mbadinga
Empathy is often stoked by lived experiences, as it did for Petrouchka Thierry Moupaya Ossiga early in life.
As an elder sister to a sibling living with autism, this young Gabonese has always been familiar with the trials and tribulations of navigating life with a physical or mental disability, the importance of support from loved ones, and the difficulties in getting society to be accepting and kind towards those with disabilities.
"He is 20 years old today," Petrouchka says of her brother. "On his own, he would really struggle with everything. So, I started reaching out to him at home. Thus began my journey," she tells TRT Afrika.
Petrouchka, now a social entrepreneur based in Libreville, has since seen from close and shared the struggles of scores of people with various disabilities.
At 24, the epithet "Mother of the handicapped" sits easy on her as she devotes most of her time to providing voluntary assistance to vulnerable people.
While those who have experienced Petrouchka's kindness would count themselves fortunate, a large proportion of the 1.3 billion people worldwide identified as living with a disability do not get the support they need from their families or society.
Battling stigma
Stigmatisation is seen as the prime barrier that people living with a disability have to overcome. They also experience other forms of discrimination that can range from rejection to outright abandonment.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), lack of information about disabilities and the absence of social support for those caring for children with disabilities are the other risk factors.
The institutionalisation of the practice of putting children with disabilities in designated shelters also makes them more vulnerable to the risk of violence.
In Libreville, Petrouchka fights a daily battle to prevent societal systems from perpetuating the negatives listed by WHO.
From hydrocephalus (a condition in which there is an abnormal build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain) to progeria (rapid juvenile ageing), Petrouchka has provided physical, moral, and sometimes financial assistance to people with debilitating conditions for many years now.
With the funds she manages to raise from her modest income as a shopkeeper, the young do-gooder offers basic necessities to the people she assists.
Sometimes, she launches fundraising campaigns on social media to support more significant initiatives.
Most of her wards are children from economically underprivileged households or families whose finances have been strained by their special needs.
"Whenever I require help, I fight with the people by my side. Some donate 2,000 CFA francs (US $0.32) or less, but they all count. Whatever we manage to raise is used for the benefit of those who need help," she tells TRT Afrika.
Humane approach
Petrouchka's first point of contact with someone living with a disability or a special condition is usually through various media. Sometimes, she is directly approached.
Libreville's "Mother of the Handicapped" is always at hand for help – accompanying someone on a visit to a clinic or hospital, giving a bath, feeding, and even completing administrative procedures linked to medical evacuations.
"I use social networks to raise awareness of those who reject and abandon children with disabilities. The first such child I tried to take care of, apart from my brother, died as a result of mistreatment by his mother," she recalls.
"I am going to do everything I can to ensure such a thing never happens around me again."
Although her 20-year-old brother's condition influenced her social mission, Petrouchka believes that wasn't the only thing that drove her to imbibe the spirit of humanism and selfless service.
"Not everyone with an autistic child is a volunteer like me," she tells TRT Afrika.
Inspirational story
Looking back, Petrouchka considers the social commitment of Édith Lucie Bongo, the former First Lady of Gabon, as an inspiration.
Before she died in 2009, Édith created the Horizons Nouveaux Foundation in 1996, which specialises in helping children with disabilities, the underprivileged, and orphans.
Petrouchka has helped almost 50 families to date, most of them based in the Gabonese capital.
Many wonder how, at her age, Petrouchka manages to be so patient, caring, and strong. She credits her family, especially her parents, with constantly motivating her.
Indeed, it was her grandparents who, seeing and appreciating their grandchild's dedication to the cause of helping people living with disabilities, gave her the befitting name "Mother of the handicapped".
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