RSA

A story of John Muhinda is much captivating and being amongst the widower’s group as a beneficiary, he shares a lot of his life experience that left us in surprise. Life has put him down to an extent of loosing hope and worthiness in his own community. Meeting John for the first time, you would think he is dumb and deaf. A soft-spoken old man has a lot in his mind and this makes him behave like a mentally challenged individual due to discrimination that has been drawn for him by the community. “Society can turn against you!!, John exclaims with a lot of disbelief. John recalls how his graph has dwindled all through his life and now sits as a fellow who never enjoyed life. He narrates his story, “I was a very respected member of this community because of my education and position I held in my life during my potential ages. I worked as a clerk in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office in Nairobi and was a very hardworking young man. Later on, at the end of my contract there, I joined the hotel industry and was a very qualified receptionist doubled with cashier at the hotel. I cared for my mother and other siblings for I was the first born partially orphaned. 

My family was recognized because of my prowess. We lived a very humble life with my siblings and mother and the community accorded us the respect we deserved. However, in the process, I developed some health complication in the year 1980 that brought me to be a useless person to date. I became withdrawn from the society and more of the impact has been felt by my family that made my mother die early after trying all the avenues to restore my health. I decided to be silence and not be involved in any growth and development that made me not even try to marry or even engage in any relationship. I have been very desolate and no one has ever known what I think or even need in my life. My younger brother married his wife in the year 1995 and the lady was much discouraged by the community of not accepting to stay in a homestead where a ‘mad man’ was. I behaved more abnormally, he recalls, why? Because I could not face all the challenges in my life. Some prominent members of the community seeing my condition, came and grabbed my piece of land believing that I am unable to challenge them. Indeed, I am not able to challenge them and now I live in my community as a refugee and owns no voice and property. People know me as a mad man and even the children that have grown in my era, understand me as a mad man. 

I believe God knows why all these had to happen. I am humbled to have been blessed with my brother’s wife whom after all the efforts of discouragement, stood her ground and told my brother that she will take care of me which she does to date. Her parents came for her in the year 1998, to separate them because of me, but she was adamant and has acted like my mother in caring for me”. John narrated his story calmly and he moved us by his smart memory. The brother was astonished to his opening up and sharing with RSA Psychologist.

During the counseling session, John testified that he never bothered to have a family because he was ugly and poor; most ladies looked down upon him and thus has never had interest in engaging any lady and opted to live a desperate life. John has had a rough time to live and talks softly to testify of the life being technical. He narrates his story and recalls how he excelled in school amongst his peers and no one would challenge him. He says, it has been hard but he thanks the Almighty for having brought RSA and the community strategies to reach out to him and make him open up through counseling sessions. He is one of our beneficiaries who calls himself, “Single”, and has accepted to live so in his entire life. At the age of 70, he trusts that his transformation has come and will be able to adjust and interact again with the society. However, he says that what is lost, is lost. Below are some pictures of John during the psychosocial counseling.