Our conversation with Mrs Tunrayo Oba, a struggling mother of one of the special needy children that Purple Dew is so focused on helping sheds a brighter light on the struggles of raising a child with special needs, her experience and the areas in which she needs help. 

Purple Dew: What has been the biggest challenge of raising a child living with disabilities?

Mrs Tunrayo Oba: From when I gave birth to him, he neither sat nor walked, I have spent money and tried all my best, but all our effort for him to stand up and walk we have not seen any changes but may God answer our prayers. We still have hope that it was God who gave him to us, it’s still God who knows how He will do His work. That’s why we’re not relenting. Let God help us to make him well. 

Purple Dew: How do you ensure your child gets access to education, healthcare and social opportunities?

Mrs Tunrayo Oba: Well it is what people assist me with and what I’m able to get. I had a trade I was doing before but when I gave birth to him I spent all the money. Sometimes I take him out to beg so I can use the proceeds to take care of him when there was no money with me again. So that is how we’ve been managing.  

Purple Dew: What would you like the government or community leaders to do better to support families like yours?

Mrs Tunrayo Oba: What I want from the government is that, how caring for him can be a priority, how to likewise take care of his siblings and likewise accommodation. Presently I have job I’m doing, I have no capital to trade with. My accommodation I cannot pay for the rent, my landlady has taken me to human rights court and people had to appeal to her on my behalf that she should give me some time so I can pay the rent. That is how it is. 

Purple Dew: What advice will you give to parents who have to take care of their children living with disabilities?

Mrs Tunrayo Oba: Some of these parents don’t take care of these children, some of them say all sorts. I heard of someone who even asked a doctor to inject the child and the child later died, the day I heard I cried. Do they know what the child can turn out to become in the future? That God created him like that has a reason. There is nothing God cannot do so anyone with such a child should care for them because nobody knows tomorrow. We can only tell of today and not the future and when God wants to change things, no one can stop the process. That is my advice, that we have hope, for as long as you’re still alive, there’s still room for change. 

Raising Children with Disabilities: A Mother's Struggle. 

Our conversation with Mrs. Tunrayo Oba, sheds light on the numerous challenges she faces in caring for her child. Her story highlights the difficulties in accessing education, healthcare, and social opportunities, as well as the emotional and financial burdens that come with raising a child with disabilities.

Key Challenges

1. Lack of access to education and healthcare: Mrs. Oba struggles to provide her child with basic necessities, relying on assistance from others and begging to make ends meet.
   
   

2. Financial struggles: She has depleted her resources, including selling her trade, to care for her child, leaving her without a stable income or accommodation.

   
   

3. Emotional toll: The weight of caring for a child with special needs, combined with the stress of financial insecurity, takes a significant emotional toll on Mrs. Oba.

Mrs. Oba's story serves as a call to action for governments, communities, and individuals to provide better support for families raising children with disabilities. This includes:

1. Increased access to education and healthcare: Governments and organizations should prioritize providing inclusive education and healthcare services for children with special needs.
   
   

2. Financial assistance and resources: Families like Mrs. Oba's require financial support, such as grants, subsidies, or microloans, to help them care for their children.
   
   

3. Emotional support and counseling: Access to counseling services and emotional support can help alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with caring for a child with special needs.

A Message of Hope

Despite the challenges, Mrs. Oba's story conveys a message of hope and resilience. Her advice to parents of children with disabilities is to "have hope" and "care for them, because nobody knows tomorrow." Her words serve as a reminder that every child, regardless of their abilities, deserves love, care, and support.