UNASHAMED SERIES 1

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UNASHAMED SERIES - FEATURE STORY 1


                   A CHANGED MINDSET

 Negativity is an attitude that involves the way in which people see things, the labels they put on the things they see and the feelings they attach to what they have seen. It is a stone that can only be turned by you, stop, breathe and listen to the tiny voice inside of you that says " you can do this, fight on" regardless of the situations surrounding you. You have to believe in yourself before anyone does.


We feature the beautiful Unashamed woman: Brenda Boonabana.

Don't let your disability define you because you are your own you, instead use your different abilities to make a name for yourself. We are the solutions to the prevailing problems,  we are the answers  and not any one else, love and treat each one equally regardless of who they are. "We are the change we want to see".- Brenda

         
 Brenda is a student of Makerere University Business School pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.  At the institution, she is the guild Minister for Persons with Disabilities. Her leadership abilities have made her a  member of Albinism Umbrella and a board member of Action for Youths with Disabilities Uganda.

She is also an advocate for inclusion. Having been born with albinism, a genetic disorder that causes the skin, eyes or hair to have little or no color at all.

People with albinism are sensitive to sunlight which makes them potential candidates for skin cancer, they also have low vision and in some parts of Africa they are haunted down under the belief that their body parts are a source of wealth. They face social stigma just like Brenda who shares her story with us.


" Identity is what a person is". - Brenda

I am a very bright, positive and ambitious woman with albinism and I am Unashamed about it. I am a lover of  people with disabilities.  

As a freshman in my high school , I lost identity to discrimination. Two days young ,  I made my way to the dining hall to have breakfast. The golden rule was " all students should use the  school plates and cups". The cups were in attractive colors like blue, red, purple , yellow and we were all at  liberty to pick any of our  choice. 

The blue color was everyone's favorite.  I  heard a lot of noise coming from all corners of the dining hall, the students were screaming on top of their voices " to hell with the blue cups". Turning around, I was the  only one with a blue cup. I was threatened to be beaten if I didn't stop using the same cups as them. Being the only  student with albinism, I felt so inferior.

I was a loner that lived in utmost fear for her life. At times I slept in the classroom afraid that i would be beaten up in the middle of the night .  I skipped classes and  found refuge in a  tree  that became my hiding and weeping home. I  started to question God's existence because  I was the prodigal daughter.

 Tired of ill treatment,  I had to cultivate a positive mind set which involved going to the dining hall and using the same cups as the rest of the students, paying a deaf ear to their comments and being so determined to stand up to them other than hiding.

I drew  strength from the memories of my hard work and the sacrifices made by my beautiful mother . Being a bright student was a plus for me, I found favour before the teachers who referred the mean students for me for consultations, they  had no option but to be my friends since they wanted to get good grades and make their parents proud, and that is how I did not allow the stigma I faced to define me,   but rather use my intellectual abilities to create a beautiful name for myself.

Brenda , 24

Comments

  1. SOUND VOICE FOR INCLUSIONJune 23, 2020 at 12:46 AM

    I believe there is always Gold in ones Self esteem and standing alone does not mean you are wrong but there is something people cannot see in you.

    ReplyDelete

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