For Aisha, it is Back to School

From Mobility Worldwide IN-DeMotte:
Chitimbe Village, Malawi — It is mid-day and cold in Malawi as we enter a village previously unknown to us. As we enter we pass a number of school children walking along the dirt road. They wave to us and we wave back; we are strangers and they observe us carefully. A short distance further a group of children, under the age of 15, are playing sporting games. But we are looking for a certain girl who cannot play these games.
—Sitting alone. When we reach our destination, we stop in front of the house near the road. Then we see her sitting patiently under a tree nearby. Her name is Aisha, and she is 22 years of age. Seven years ago Aisha fell ill for a long period of time. Her legs grew weak and she stopped walking—it was Malaria they believe. The inability to walk meant she could not get to school—her mother had four other children to care for and could not carry her back and forth each day. She ended her schooling at grade 5.
—Mosquitoes Near the Lake. Because Chitimbe is close to Lake Chilwa (the second largest lake in Malawi), social workers tell us there is much malaria in this area. Most of the poor are unable to take their children for medical treatment, and malaria is very serious! It can bring death to a number of them, while leaving many others disabled.
—One of Twenty that Day. As a result of our trip that day, Aisha was just one of twenty to receive a mobility unit. She told us, “I am so excited that I can now start going to school again.” —Wilson Tembo