_edited.jpg)
Shame, Abuse, and Misconceptions: The Reality of Having a Disability in Nigeria, Africa
- storiesagainststig
- Aug 26, 2023
- 3 min read
As of 2020, there are reportedly over 27 million Nigerians living with some form of disability. That's OVER 10% of the Nigerian population.
Persons with disabilities in Nigeria often experience negative attitudes at family and community levels, which include shaming, abuse, and misconceptions surrounding the causes of disabilities (usually associated with religious or cultural norms and beliefs). When it comes to children with disabilities, they are sometimes shockingly accused of being witches - as some believe that certain disabilities are considered evidence of witchcraft.
These negative attitudes manifest a sense of rejection, neglect, loss of respect, denial of self-worth, and often result in low self-esteem, depression, isolation, or suicide. Sometimes, persons with disabilities are murdered by their communities due to the fear of them bringing a curse to the family/community.
Nigeria is one country in this giant world. Stigma against persons with disabilities is only one type of stigma out of many, that people suffer with. This fundraiser is the start of a small group of people that wish to share the true stories of individuals who have suffered immensely due to the stigma they experienced in their everyday life.
We understand that stigma often comes from a lack of understanding or fear. However, regardless of someone's ability, race, gender, age, or illness, everyone deserves to be respected.
With Stories Against Stigma, we hope to bring across stories that address the stigma, educate people, and hopefully through increasing awareness start to create new conversations among all ages.
The Launch of Stories Against Stigma:
Currently, Stories Against Stigma is in the beginning stages of becoming something bigger. What was once only an idea, has now turned into a project that's working to amplify the voices of marginalized individuals and changing conversations to reduce the occurrence of stigma against people.
Stories Against Stigma's first step is to fundraise the funds to launch their first story!
Check out this link to read more about our fundraiser: https://gofund.me/2fe8c069
This fundraiser is specifically targeting the launch of the first of many stories. This story will come across in the form of a Children's Book - targeting the ages of 3-8.
This book is based on the true story of a girl named Faith, who suffers from a type of muscular dystrophy in a rural, impoverished area of Nigeria. Due to her disabilities, Faith has had to suffer through abuse and neglect from her own family and community. Faith's story is powerful and needs to be shared. Without Faith's consent and input into this story, this book would not be possible.
Fundraiser Details:
The hope is for enough books to be printed and sold after this fundraiser is complete to (1) directly support Faith with her current needs and dreams of attending university/college, and (2) to be able to create more stories/books that address different forms of stigma around the world.
We are hoping to raise $6,000 to create, print, and distribute this children's book .
$2,500 will cover the cost of illustrating this book with the help of an artist, Coast2Coast - IG: https://www.instagram.com/coast_to_coast_artist/
$2,000 will cover the cost of printing 250 books using Mixam
$1000 will cover the cost of shipping
$500 will be put aside to address any misc. costs including things like advertising and potential hidden fees
We hope that this process will be able to be completed within a year from start to finish.
Want to Learn More?
Are you interested in learning more about this topic? Check out the following links:
1) Traditional beliefs inform attitudes to disability in Africa. Why it matters
2) The stigma and challenge of living with disability in Nigeria
2) Social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigeria: Challenges and opportunities
3) Nigeria: Children and Young People with Disabilities -
Kommentare