The burden of a young person’s disability on the shoulders of a poor family

Rahmatullah Marjankhil

 

Ghazni, Afghanistan – Around 24 years old, Abdul Basir, is a disabled young man from Ghazni city who lost the ability to walk at six months of age after contracting polio.

Both of his legs are paralyzed, and he relies on a wheelchair to move from one place to another.

He says, “About 24 years ago, at the age of 6 months, I contracted polio due to not being vaccinated. As a result, I became disabled, placing a burden on my family, and losing many of my hopes and dreams. He, the third son among his two brothers and two sisters, had dreams of becoming a doctor, but polio prevented him from achieving this dream.”

Around 24 years old, Abdul Basir, is a disabled young man from Ghazni city who lost the ability to walk at six months of age after contracting polio © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marjankhil

 

He added that even though years have passed since the incident, he still vividly remembers his childhood desire to enroll in school and learn. But the head teacher told him, “You are disabled and cannot walk. Who will take you to the bathroom?”

According to him, it was because of the words of the head teacher that he didn’t go to school, which deprived him from the blessing of education.

Abdul Basir in his home between his parents © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marjankhil

 

Abdul Basir says that, despite his inability to walk, he works as a cobbler to support his family of 10 due to their poor economic situation.

He, whose face showed signs of pain and suffering, was busy sewing a customer’s shoe in his small shop when he said, “If my father and mother had not neglected to give me the polio vaccine in my childhood, I wouldn’t have been in this situation today.”

Abdul Basir’s mother putting shoes on his disabled feet © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marjankhil

 

He says every morning his old father, despite his weak body, takes him to the road with a handcart because the road leading up to their house is in poor condition, making it impassable for his wheelchair. Then, he makes his way to his shop independently, assisted by his wheelchair.

With a sigh, he added, “It is hard to see my mother putting shoes on my disabled feet and my gray-haired father pushing me in a handcart to a destination. My parents are kind and generous, but they won’t be with me forever. I don’t know what my future holds.”

Abdul Basir’s father taking him to the road with a handcart © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marjankhil

 

According to him, despite his eldest brother’s inability to work due to a mental illness and his youngest brother attending school, he finds contentment in the fact that he provides for and supports his mother, father, and the rest of his family without having to rely on the assistance of others.

He mentioned that when he thinks about his own situation, he often considers families who don’t vaccinate their children against polio, putting them at risk of facing a similar fate

He also mentioned that he often goes door to door with volunteers during campaigns, aiming to educate parents about the importance of vaccinating their children against polio, using his own condition as an example.

He said, ‘By taking this action, I am conveying the message that my life is filled with challenges. Don’t let your children become disabled like me due to polio. Provide them with the polio vaccine to protect them from this disease and ensuring they can live a healthy life.

Abdul Basir’s father, Ghulam Mohammad, expressed that his son is the sole provider for the family, but his disability concerns him. Ghulam Mohammad, who is around 57 years old, added, ” As a father, witnessing my son’s struggles, I deeply regret not ensuring Basir received proper vaccinations in his childhood. if I had taken the necessary steps, he would have been healthy today.”

He mentioned that at that time, they were living in the Zurmat district of Paktia province, where there were very few to no polio vaccinators. However, he admits that he was negligent as well for not taking his child to the clinic for vaccination.

According to him, now that there is security in the country, vaccination volunteers are going from house to house. He emphasizes that parents should not ignore this opportunity and should vaccinate their children in every campaign

He asserts that it is the responsibility of parents to take children who weren’t vaccinated during the vaccination campaigns to the nearest health center for vaccination.

Abdul Basir in his Shop © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marjankhil