Volume 9.4
Ten to 15 per cent of the African population has some form of disability, and many are marginalized in accessing basic services needed to live a quality life. Sadly, the Body of Christ has not significantly addressed this issue. In most cases, we perpetuate harmful beliefs, viewing disabilities as a result of demonic possession, punishment for sin, or lack of faith. Such attitudes contribute to feelings of grief and rejection among people with disabilities. In this issue of AfriGO, we feature stories and articles that highlight how the Church ought to view people with disabilities, minister effectively to them, and include them in God's mission.
Welcome persons with disabilities
When you hear the words “people with disabilities”, what thoughts immediately come to mind? Persons with disabilities include those with “long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barr...
They had written my story, but God had other plans
CALLED: FRANCIS MUGWANYA
When I was 17 years, I experienced a shift in perspective that changed my life. I met a missionary pastor at a nearby orphanage and he took me through scriptures like Je...
Disability and the Christian response
Ten to 15 per cent of the African population has some form of disability. This large number of more than 80 million people are the most marginalized in accessing basic services needed to live a quality life. Only five to 15 per cent of the people...
Our responsibility to people with disabilities
If you are a church member and you think of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), maybe you think of curses, demons, healing, saliva, or noises. My challenge today is that we as the Church train ourselves instead to think of Jesus’s words in John 9...
Resources for reaching persons with disability
Real-life perseverance:
A poignant story of missionaries raising their disabled child in an African village setting. An excerpt:
Joseph was born during our first year on the field in Mozambique. Though we w...
Book Review: Disabled Village Children
The resource book Disabled Village Children was originally published in 1987 but is still considered a vital handbook for those who want to assist children living in rural areas or urban places without resources. It was entire...
Care beyond price
In a North African country, five local Christians serve 18 children with disabilities and their Muslim families. They work from a one-room respite day care centre at a mission hospital and attend to children with severe cerebral palsy, Down syndr...
People group: the intellectually impaired
Among every people group and every community are people of all ages who are differently-abled intellectually either from birth or due to injury. Often, these brothers and sisters are hidden out of shame or remain at home, especially when thei...
