No limbs but plenty of spirit

Having no limbs has proved no barrier to success for the inspirational Josephina Johannes, who is determined to get an education and become a teacher. Johannes was born at Eengodi in the Oshikoto Region with an extremely rare generic condition called Tetra-amelia syndrome which results in the limbs not developing properly in the womb. She is one of nine children, and her siblings do not suffer from the condition. At the age of six, Johannes can already write the letters of the alphabet and numbers while holding a pen with the tips of her elbows. Her mother, Hilima Jeremiah, says despite her daughter’s physical disability, she is talented and wants to become a teacher. “The only thing wrong with her is that she doesn’t have arms and legs, otherwise she is a very smart, friendly and curious child. She runs around the house on her stumps like a normal child. She really is a gift,” Jeremiah says. Johannes, who started kindergarten this year, is also very popular among her classmates and teachers. “The kids at school have accepted her and she has not endured any bullying. In fact, she loves school so much that she only complains when I come to school to fetch her, as she would like to stay there longer,” says Jeremiah. Jeremiah, who is an unemployed single mother, says her only means of supporting Johannes is the N$200 disability grant that she receives from the government every month. “Her father is not involved in her life at all and has never supported her. I would like to work, but I have not managed to get a job yet. I take care of all her needs with the disability grant.” The managing editor of Elegance magazine, May Hikumwah, who had an opportunity to meet Johannes recently, says the young girl’s determined spirit to overcome has remained with her. Hikumwah first heard Johannes’s story from Nantu representative George Hafilwa, who solicited her help to get the young girl assistance because of the impoverished state she was living in. “I didn’t want to go to companies for sponsorship as they take long, so I instead approached individuals. Society of Advocates got back to me immediately and they were able to sponsor a portable toilet and a wheelchair for Josephina. Other individual sponsors also came on board,” says Hikumwah. After meeting Johannes and her family, Hikumwah says she is even more determined to help the family. “The family really needs help. We also managed to give her toiletries and made a picnic for the family, but every bit goes a long way,” says Hikumwa. MERJA IILEKA