Hansigari was born with a condition called spina bifida. Spina bifida is a defect which occurs in the development of the infant spine while she/he is in her mother’s womb.
Hansigari (40 years old) was born in Rombo district in the village of Shirimatunda located in Kilimanjaro region. He is living with his parents and three siblings. Hansigari was born with a condition called spina bifida. Spina bifida is a defect which occurs in the development of the infant spine while she/he is in her mother’s womb. The bones of Infant’s spina do not close over the spina cord (central tube of nerves).
Hansigari narrates that, his mother did not know that Hansigari has a disability. She noticed that her child was not kicking his legs. He started to consult other people about her child’s condition. She then noticed a wound on her child’s back but nobody at the hospital had mentioned to her. When Hansigari was 3 month old her mother took him back to the hospital to ask the doctors and she was told about child’s condition.
Hansigari stayed home for 15 years with no ability to control his bladder and bowel with no assistive device like a wheelchair for mobility. He was moving using his butts which later he ended up with major pressure sores. With major sores on his butts, he decided to move on his four limbs but with no ability to lift his feet, he end us dragging them on the ground. Hansigari ended up losing his toes on both feet as a result of pressure sores.
In 1997 when he was 14 years old, he met a doctor at Huruma district hospital who told him about CCBRT and the services that he could benefit from. Few days later CCBRT team met with him and started rehabilitating him and enrolling him for clean–intermittent–catheterization to help him stay dry and control bowel. He was also provided with a wheelchair for mobility within his home environment. CCBRT provided counseling to Hansigari to build his self-confidence. He later started a shoe repair business.
He continued to work closely with CCBRT in creating awareness about disability issues. He is a board member for the youth in the Association of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Tanzania – ASBAHT and a good activist in his locality on importance of SBH children to attend continence management week at CCBRT once in three months. Hansigari is married to Ms. Theresia and God blessed them with a baby boy called Meshach.
Hansigari now is dry, independent working as shoe repair, shoe shine and together with his wife they have opened a small food & drinks kiosk where they work together.
When asked to give sentence word about CCBRT he said “…I was to die, CCBRT Moshi gave me life…”