MERCY'S CURIOSITY

Our campaign for women, no matter their back ground or religious affiliations, of course including those living with disabilities is meant to be all inclusive and we have tried to make it so. 

Preparatory to visiting any community, we ensured that this was well communicated to the authorities so that no one will be left out. We always get the assurance that same will be communicated to the women, but somehow we usually have just barely 3 persons living with disabilities in the communities we had gone to. Perhaps our communication strategy was not clear enough or there was a deliberate attempt to just ignore that portion of our mostly multiple communication patterns. 

It is rainy season with temperatures at an alarming low and the weather thick with cloud, yet we were determined to reach out to this very important people. Our visit to Kuci Goro community in the FCT Abuja was not any different. In fact this time around there was no single person with disability at our programme. Regardless of these obstacles we kicked off and the women were very enthusiastic and welcoming.

The women were lamenting on the distances they had to go to get registered for the elections, expressing the pressures they face due to financial constrained. But even at that, most of them were able to register during the continuous voters’ registration window as against the previous elections.

What was happening 

Discussions had started, instantly I had a nudge to turn sideways, then I noticed her, her gaze was electrifying, magnetic, I imagined a thousand questions running through her mind, just as a million thoughts raced through mine. Her gaze would actually leave a bombardment of questions on the mind of any responsible citizen who graves for meaningful change and impact in a country such as ours. I wondered why she wasn’t part of the women who gathered. Little did I know that she was curious and wanted to know what was going on. She made an attempt to move on, but a desire had welled inside of her and curious she stopped abruptly. Turned and looked intently at me. She motioned with her hands enquiring what was happening.

A member of our team told her we were discussing about the elections. It was obvious she did not understand and immediately we understood that she was deaf. While contemplating on how to break the wall of communication and reach her world, she requested for a pen.

This damsel could write, she wrote her name and a written conversation sparked off immediately. She was unaware of the programme as no one had told them but also expressed happiness on the exercise.

She wasn’t a resident of Kuci Goro as at the time she did her voters registration, however, upon relocation to Kuci Goro she and her friend Tina who is also deaf had requested for PVC (Permanent Voters Card) transfer and they were told the PVC was undergoing production process. 

Part of her excitement was that we were there to further enlighten them because they did not know what next to do. She quickly asked to get her friend and before the blink of an eye the two friends were excitedly at the venue. 

It was the first time 

They lauded our effort in educating the women on the importance of participating in the electoral process saying it was the first time they were experiencing such and were very expectant that the elections will bring about a change where they too will be remembered.

Tina who could only communicate to us through Mercy, as she could not write, told us that they will also be telling their friends everything that happened and will encourage them fully participate in the elections. She said bumping into our programme was the best thing that had happened to them that day.

I was so excited that even though no one informed them, Mercy’s curiosity had led them to us, building in me a hope that we are gradually making impact in our campaign, ensuring total inclusiveness in the 2023 General Elections.