Despite having been born without limbs, 22-year-old Tinyiko Gwambe from Tshilamba in Vhembe has managed to follow her dream and is currently in her fourth year of studies at the University of Pretoria to become a social worker.
Her biggest challenge, however, is mobility and she urgently needs a specialised custom-made wheelchair that will have to be imported from the UK, which will cost some R350 000.
Currently she relies on her sister or boyfriend to make it to lectures and when they are unable to assist she relies on public transport, which can be unpredictable and often problematic.
In the hope of raising the necessary funds, a campaign has been created on donations-based crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy to appeal to the public to support her in becoming more independent and to empower her when she is placed into her first job as a social worker.
From a young age she was determined not be held back by her disability and saw her challenges as an opportunity to push herself further and to live her life to the fullest as God intended.
“I had to learn early on not to play the blame game and accept myself for being born this way. I had to realise that with being disabled, my obstacles would oftentimes be greater than those of able-bodied individuals. So I pushed myself to do more, I found gratitude in exceeding people’s expectations of me and through scripture found the confidence to chase my dreams,” Gwambe said.
She decided to become a social worker due to her own experiences after her mother died when she was 15 years old. “I was let down by the system and had a constant change of caregivers sent to look after me.
“The social workers kept changing and did not have the experience to take care of me. They did not understand my needs. For instance, they would get a caregiver who did not even know how to carry me. The painful truth is, sometimes I would go a day without eating. It was difficult dealing with the loss of my mom and dealing with complicated family dynamics. I felt that no one was looking out for me and I felt really alone,” Gwambe explained.
“I really hope the public will support my BackaBuddy campaign,” Gwambe concluded.
To assist or for more information go to www.backabuddy.co.za/raising-money-for-a-special-car.
Story: KAREN VENTER
>>karen@observer.co.za
