Disabled woman feeding orphans in Mzuzu

Jun 25, 2017 Top News 104
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Emily Jungwana

Born in 1977, Emily Jungwana, has never stood to her height. She has always been crawling. Both of her legs are crippled.

Her life story is a good script for a movie, but still, she has to strive to create haven out of her hell.

When she was only ten years old, her father died. By then, her mother had fallen very sick. She had been suffering from an unknown disease. The death of Emily’s father became more painful. It left her more hopeless.

On the other hand, the health status of her mother continued to decline. The disease left her very weak, weaker that she couldn’t even do a simple chore.

Emily Jungwana
Emily Jungwana working in her field.

“The death of my father resurfaced calls for our banishment from the village. In our village, they believe that disabled people are symbols of bad omen and their mothers are cursed,” she said.

“So my mother and I were driven out of the village barely few days after my father’s burial. Unfortunately, I was the only child from my mother. She was my father’s second wife. My brothers from another mother championed our banishment,” she explained.

At that moment, they had nowhere to go. Her mother’s village had the same belief, which meant that, only her mother would have been welcomed and not her.

As the whole tragic drama was unfolding, her mother’s health continued to deteriorate. Emily got more worried.

Nonetheless, they kept the faith until a good Samaritan took them to Sonda village in the area of traditional authority Kampingo Sibande, in the western outskirts of Mzuzu city.

“By that time, we had already suffered in the wilderness for a week or so without eating,” she said.

“The Samaritan pastor just dropped us here and said he had nothing more to help. Fortunately, we found a grass thatched hut already here. It was being used by him (the pastor) while he was ministering in this community around 1985,” she added.

She said, when the pastor left, they started sleeping on an empty stomach for some days. She then had to crawl for about 3 kilometres to a nearby road to beg for food from people. By then, her mother had become even weaker.

Emily said, the tendency of begging screwed her nerves and she thought of doing something about it. That something meant working hard on her own to find food to feed herself and the mother.

“Sometimes I could come from begging empty handed. This puzzled me a lot. I had a huge responsibility of taking care of my mother. Our relatives were nowhere to be seen because of my disability,” she said.

“I thought of using the 2 hectares land left by the pastor for farming. At first I borrowed a hoe and seeds from our nearby villagers (about 2 kilometres),” she said.

According to Emily, this was the genesis of her entry into subsistence farming. The first season, she harvested four bags of maize and some beans.

She had hope, her mother would now survive. They began eating thrice a day. The common adage that disability is not inability kept ringing realities in her mind.

After the farming began proving success, Emily adopted one widow. She had met this widow when begging at the road. The widow was very aged but had no pillar of strength.

“I also adopted two kids (the oldest being about 7 years) who were just wandering in this community. I felt the pain of being helpless, so I decided that from the little I get from the farm, I should share with my fellow vulnerable people,” she said.

However, much as Emily depends on farming, she is still facing a lot of challenges. Due to over-farming on the same plot, the soil has lost fertility. This has reduced her yield per season from six bags of maize to only three.

Without fertiliser, her future in farming, may eventually hit the rocks. She needs fertiliser to be applying in the field if her farming is to continue bearing good fruits.

She also needs some hybrid seeds which may double her harvest.

The good thing about Emily is that she is not lazy, she only needs someone to help her with some farm inputs. She is ready to continue farming and feeding the two widows and orphans.

“If they can also help me with a wheelchair for my mobility, I can be very happy. It’s a challenge to be crawling a distance of 4 kilometres to and from my Apostolic church. So I need a wheelchair.

“Someone can also help me with capital. I want to start business,” she said.

Emily is of the wish that if all goes well, she will establish an orphanage, saying there are many children who are just wandering in the community.

If you would like to meet or help Emily in any way possible, call/ WhatsApp this reporter on 0882688605 for direction.

 

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104 Comments

  3. Where is disabled grant plz imagine this lady struggling to feed herself then government is very quiet about it,,so sad you guys I can appreciate if our government can consider grants for special needed people.

  7. This is my aunt and yes she is disabled BUT she doesnt keep orphans, and she was born in 1956 and NOT 1977 as you crackpots put it, and her father died while she was 43 and NOT 10. Plz make a complete research before u publish a story. CRACKPOTS.

  8. Don’t Take Ppo Wth Dsabilities As Acaptal Of Ur Problems Dc Is My Aunt & She Is Not Lyk Dat Pliz Find Another Way Dat Can Help U To B Rich Osanamizira Aunt Anga Cholina Mkatenga Thandzo Msangalare Nd Banja Lanu Pliz Liv Her Alone.

  11. Oh, to God be the Glory and Honor, are you having any contacts number, or detiel of this moman? If so please send them to 078 071 6203, (RSA) or mail me on [email protected]
    May the Lord bless you if you do so, thank you

  14. Let’s take part in help
    It does not start with rich people but with what u have if u don’t have they is no way u can give and if you don’t have the heart to give there is no way u can give so to give its a heart of man not amount of Worth you accopie

    Don’t need pastor or any man of God to help when problem come but remember men of God even in good time not bad time

  16. I watched this woman on YouTube but esh she is struggling to feed the clouds of kids!!!!!May only God help this poor woman in anyway!!!

  18. she is not disabled by the way.she is just physically challenged.to disable is not to be able, so if she can feed someone mukulakwa manenedwewo….change Malawi

  31. why you Malawi24 are fond of writing very short stories?? or leaving a story of extreme newsworth in sky,instead of completing it up until to the end??plz i plead wth you try to write upto nut par so that it entice large audience

  36. It SHOULD BEGIN BY YOU MALAWI 24!! MOBILISE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW THIS SITE! THE REST WILL FOLLOW. REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID…I WAS IN PRISON,NAKED,HUNGRY BUT YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING, AND ON BEHALF OF THIS WOMAN I SAY…I WAS LAME BUT YOU POSTED ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITHOUT PHYSICAL HELP. DONT SAY THE GOVERNMENT! BOMA NIMWE. AM A ZAMBIAN. NAKAMBAKO CHABE AS NEIGHBOUR!

  38. Hoo ameneyo ndiye timati mulungu sayang’ana kuti uyu ndani,alemekezeke wa mwambamamayo,GOD may countinue give her abandance.

  41. God bless the woman!He should give her more strength despite being disabled .She has proved that disability is not inability.

  42. Its good example but my question can be posed to the so called rich people that why are they allowing the devil to take an advantage of such disabled lady in their presence? Can’t they take an action on that? If they are rich let them show their richness on such innocent souls whom devil is taking advantage of, mine is just a request to all that have atleast money that they should forget to take care of such souls even Pastors also I forgot to mention you that it is your role to care about such souls its not only about being preoccupied with your own church goers NO but also such souls my the glory be to the Lord God Almighty…

    1. And U Yourself, Had Also A Role 2play On Dis Situation, Osat Okhawo, Ur De One 2start Peddeling The Chain.

    3. Komano iyeyi athakukhala ochepekedwa muli athu mudziko muno alemela …..ofcoz iyeyi atha kuchitapo kathu komano uzawone vuto la mmalawi muli olemeletsetsa komaso kuli athu osaukitsitsa …olemela amakathandiza Nzake olemela kale mmalo mot alemela azithandiza athu ovutika

    4. let’s not put the blame on the rich pple n pastors etc what about you n me, at lest we are not disabled, how many have we fed, or is there any charity work that we did or we are doing, its not only the rich or pastor who shall be judged but all of us,

    5. That’s fantastic point they are busy just stealing money and just helping themselves,which is very bad in face of God

  45. very touching testimony and i pray that the Mighty God open the doors of blessings with double portion in Jesus Mighty Name, receive ur blessings now and remain bless.In Jesus Name it is done. Amen!!!

    1. Thandizaniponi munthuyu. Pemphero lanu ndi labwino koma sumampatsa Baibulo munthu akugona ndi njala. The woman is looking for financial assistance to start a business to reach out to more orphans, the woman wants a wheel chair to ease her mobility, the woman want help in the maize field (fertiliser, Maize seeds, nyemba etc). And mtola nkhaniyo wayikapo numbala yake kuti mukomane naye Emily yo.

    3. my dear kodi thandizo amachita kukwera pa chulu?Komanso dziwani kut Mulungu yekha ndamene amapereka kwakuya, nditha kupereka chomwe ndili nacho koma chimpgndulira kangati?I believe what God can supply is unquenchable.It will keep on flowing, and i say let it be fulfilled now in Jesus name!

    1. Simunawerenge the whole article. Open the article link contacts are there (If you would like to meet or help Emily in any way possible, call/ WhatsApp this reporter on 0882688605 for direction.)

  47. Yaa the government must give support to her I saw one like this woman in mzimba at kaulila turn off I was so sad but I didn’t do anything to her because that time I had nothing.

    3. Its true but ndili kutali pano koma zachisoni miyendo yose anadula angoyenda chokhala khasu lili ku manja mumizele God have mercy

    1. The woman is not looking for your special awards. What she is looking for is a wheel chair, Ferteliser, maize seed, a capital to start a business so that she might be able to reach out to more chirldren. And the reporter added his contacts for you to meet Emily face to face. Osati zi ma award zanu zopanda ntchitozo. If you would like to meet or help Emily in any
      way possible, call/ WhatsApp this reporter
      on 0882688605 for direction.

  59. Zitsiru zina zonse zilinazo koma zara lendeeeee.i like her kurumara sichifukwa u can do anything and even more than munthu walunga

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