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Farida Bedwei is proof of what a child with disabilities can achieve through the untiring efforts put in by parents or caregivers.
Farida Bedwei is proof of what a child with disabilities can achieve when untiring efforts are put in by parents and caregivers.
As I watched an interview with the smart and beautiful Farida N. Bedwei on CNN’s ‘African Voices,’ I was blown away!
Farida’s is a tale of grit and determination – she was detected with cerebral palsy at a very young age, yet she did not let disability stop her from reaching for the stars. Farida is now the Co-founder and CTO of a software company called Logiciel (Ghana). Logiciel has recently been featured as one of the top ten technology companies in Ghana. Once we listen to Farida’s story, we realise that there is no mountain too high and no ocean too deep.
Farida’s incredible journey is a testimony to what a child with disabilities can achieve through the untiring efforts put in by parents or caregivers. Around the time Farida turned 1, it was confirmed that she had cerebral palsy. Though detection of any kind of disability in one’s child can come as a tremendous blow for parents, Farida’s mother Lydia Bedwei did not let that intimidate her. This dedicated mother set about trying to find ways to help Farida reach her maximum potential despite the diagnosis.
Lydia home-schooled Farida till she turned 12, since she realised that there were no proper schools for children with special needs in Dominica where Farida’s father had been posted for work. Farida also underwent speech therapy classes to help her out of her speech impairment and physiotherapy to help with her motor skills.
Farida was put in a regular school in Ghana at the age of 12, mainly to improve her social skills, but she surprised everybody by performing brilliantly in academics as well. She developed a love for computers at an early age and went on to get a diploma in computer engineering. She also worked for some of the best software companies in Ghana. While working she managed to get a second diploma in e-technology and later got a degree in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire in England.
Farida has written a book, Definition of a Miracle, which though not autobiographical, is about a girl called Zaara and how she deals with cerebral palsy.
Watch this inspiring video to see why we all need to let nothing limit us or stop us from realising our dreams!
Image via CNN.
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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