Overcoming adversity: My Journey from disability to empowerment ambassador

"I am a living testament that no human is limited, as Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge says."

These are the words of 51-year-old Evelyn Auma, who is marking 30 years of living with a disability.

For Auma, her disability has never held her back from dreaming big or spreading hope to others facing similar challenges—a journey she began in 2000.

Before becoming an ambassador for people with disabilities in Mogotio and the larger Nakuru County, Auma was an Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teacher in Mogotio. She was healthy and dedicated to educating children until, at 21, she suffered a stroke that impaired her mobility.

Auma recalls the painful day that changed her life. "On the morning of December 25, 1995, I was struck by a disability. It’s a day I no longer celebrate with fellow Christians because of the pain it brings me," she confides to Mtaa Wangu.

After the stroke, Auma was in and out of hospitals, searching for answers. Yet, modern medical treatments provided no relief.

"My parents had given up on me. People in the village would wait for my death, and whenever there were wails nearby, they would rush to our home, only to find me still alive," she says, looking at others living with disabilities who attended her celebration.

The treatments she underwent were grueling, including a method where her body was buried halfway in the ground in an attempt to straighten her posture.

"That took a mental toll on me," she explains. "I was buried waist-deep to try and correct my posture, but nothing worked until I was introduced to a herbalist who used traditional plants as medicine."

Four years later, Auma regained her mobility and returned to Nakuru, where she found healing and acceptance in her new reality.

In 2000, a friend invited her to an event for people with disabilities. There, Auma’s heart was broken as she realized how much she had once despised herself.

"At one point, I had even thought of taking my life. But seeing others who were more physically challenged than me made me rethink everything," she says.

It was then that she decided to embrace her new life and empower others by sharing her journey. Today, Auma interacts with over 100 people with disabilities in Mogotio, advocating for acceptance and perseverance. She firmly believes that the worst disability is a mindset, adding that it can be even harder for those who were born healthy to accept living with a disability.

"As I celebrate 30 years of living with a disability, I can confidently say that not accepting who you are can lead to an early grave. We face many challenges, but wallowing in self-pity is not the answer. Together, we’ve empowered each other, running projects that help us sustain ourselves, like chicken and farming projects in Mogotio," she says.

Auma hopes to make the disability celebration in her village an annual event, where people with disabilities can feel valued and loved.

"The day will be about celebrating our different kinds of disabilities and embracing ourselves, just as I have for the last 30 years," she says.