Visually impaired woman lives her dream

13 Jul, 2014 - 00:07 0 Views

The Sunday News

Thobekisiwe Gumede Sunday Leisure Reporter
THE physical and emotional challenges that normally accompany visual disabilities did not deter a 24-year-old Bulawayo woman from living her dream of one day becoming a counsellor. With her dreams set beyond the horizon, Audrey Maseko vowed that her disability would never spell inability, as she set out to greet her dream.

Not different from any person striving to make ends meet, Audrey resorted to selling airtime, even though she has a great challenge in seperating  money from recharge cards.

“I cannot tell money apart from touching it. I am entirely dependent on the person buying from me. If for example someone tells me that he has given me $5 and he wants a dollar airtime, I give him the bag where I keep my money and ask him or her to take the change. In an effort to live up to my dreams I had to do this so as to be able to pay my fees,” she said.

Audrey lost her sight at the age of 12 but manages to get by, as she is capable of cooking and carrying out other household chores.

Audrey sells airtime and other wares at the corner of Hebert Chitepo and 8th Avenue opposite the High Court of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

Asked how she managed to get by the day selling airtime and other wares, given her disability, she said: “When I arrive home, I ask my grandmother to help me count the money and so far I have never been cheated. It’s not easy but I have managed to adapt to my condition.”

Audrey was diagnosed with a condition that affects the cataracts when she was born but sadly lost her sight at the age of 12, while preparing for her Grade 7 examinations.

Because of her troubling eye condition, Audrey failed her Grade 7 examinations and Ordinary Levels.

“Because I lost my sight at the age of 12, I failed my Grade 7 exams, as I was struggling to come to terms with the reality, as a young girl,” she said.

With a keen interest in education and never wanting to be held back, Audrey managed to resit and passed her Grade 7 exams, before going to high school.

“I failed because I was struggling to come to terms with what was happening to me. I was not only going blind, but suffered migraine headaches, which made it difficult for me to adequately prepare for my exams.

“I know that education is important and it is my passion to study. Unfortunately now, I do not have anyone to sponsor my studies, but I try to pay my fees with the little money that I make,” she said.

Audrey is presently studying for a certificate in Counselling and Therapy at the Southern African Institution of Counselling and Therapy in the city.

“I am studying for a National Certificate in Counselling and Therapy through my own efforts. My father told me that I was old enough and  capable of fending for myself. He always encouraged me to take life by the reins and I am doing exactly that,” she said.

Audrey has an infectious laugh, accompanied by the essential element in acknowledging her condition.

She has a strong passion for assisting the less fortunate.

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