The misery of a blind ex-UB undergraduate

KEABETSWE NEWEL
Correspondent | Monday May 2, 2011 00:00

 

Monica Laba's face has misery written all over it. Her eyes yearning for sight. Her face lumpy, with the skin burnt as if she survived an inferno, hence her daily bitterness, anger and frustration. She resides at Blue Town location in Francistown. Inhabitants of this place are mainly in the low-income bracket. Shacks, built from loose materials of planks, cardboard boxers and corrugated iron sheets are a common sight here. Meandering through a few yards located just next to the Francistown Stadium, would lead one to Laba's place.

Her residence is surprisingly immaculately kept, with herself stashed indoors. Several knocks at the door would later earn a response of a slow muffled voice, 'I am coming.' She would then emerge, her hands reaching out to make there are no obstacles in the way. A young woman, who resembles her, clears the way for Laba. She positions a chair for her to face the unexpected visitor. Her face kept down mostly, she is too inquisitive to establish the visitor's identity.

After she is satisfied, she then narrates the misfortunes of her life, defining it as a misery. Laba revealed that she was an educated woman who was disfigured from a beautiful smooth woman to a blind woman with unsmooth skin that she is today. Laba said she grew up as an intelligent young woman who met her misfortunes at the University of Botswana (UB) in 1973, in her second year of studying sciences. She said that in one of the days at school, she felt sick, took sulphur drugs from a private doctor, to which she reacted badly.

'My face became burnt. The reaction spread quickly to my eyes and closed them with a swelling that impaired my vision,' she said. The allergy came painfully with her face itching and burning. In 1974 her vision became so poor that she was compelled to take a break from her studies.

'My stubbornness and love for education however betrayed me into thinking I could cope but my eyes told a different story,' she revealed. During this painful time, Laba said that she tried several doctors for help but in vain. She even travelled to South Africa for medical assistance but none could cure her. 'I was operated on many times before I returned to Francistown, this time having given up my attempts to pursue studies,' she said.

Laba said the Francistown City Council (FCC) had also made attempts to assist her, through a certain rehabilitation officer whose name she could not remember. The officer had told her that he could arrange for her to take Braille lessons and find proper schools for her but she says none of the promises came to fruition.

In early 1987, her dreams of being a professional scientist perished. Life was by then switching to a darker mode, compelling her to hassle for survival. Her daughter, who is now a 31-year-old teacher, was her only hope and helper. She said she depended on her for everything.

In a bid to be self-supporting, she said she began selling cigarettes and sweets to put food on the table. In 1988 she went for the last operation in South Africa where she again saw no improvement but the worsening of her blindness.

'I became a burden to my daughter who was unable to handle her own household because she had to provide for me,' she said. She added that in 2003 she was enrolled into the social work assistance programme, which was terminated two years later. 'I was told that I had a good shelter to live in.

However, I had nothing to feed myself with. My daughter takes me to church and everywhere I need to go.Without her I cannot live,' said Laba sorrowfully. She said that her life is so painful that at times she curses the day she was born. If only she could be assisted to walk on her own. She still has much passion for education and hopes that someone will at least teach her Braille and how to use computers for her survival.

However, Laba said that a social worker recently visited her to assess her condition and promised to organise some social assistance for her. So there is some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for Laba - at last.