By Tendai Makaripe
BUHERA, Zimbabwe — Fifteen-year-old Newton, a Buhera boy with disability, longs to attend school, but an undiagnosed physical condition that makes walking, writing and eating difficult has kept him outside the classroom.
Newton lives with his 65-year-old grandmother, Sarah Mushavakanhu, and 13-year-old sister in Kwenda Village under Chief Nyashanu in Buhera.
With the support of a walking stick, he moves slowly and sometimes shakes when his body becomes weak.
Holding a pen is difficult for him, while speaking and eating take longer.
Neither Newton nor his grandmother knows the name of the condition because he has not received a professional medical assessment.
However, the physical challenges have not diminished his desire to learn, become independent and build a better future.
“I want to go to school so that I can have a better future,” Newton said. “I cannot go on like this.”
A grandmother’s years of sacrifice
 Mushavakanhu has cared for him through periods when he could not walk and depended on her to move from one place to another.
“I have sacrificed a lot for Newton,” she said. “When he could not walk, I carried him on my back. At times, I placed him in a wheelbarrow and pushed him wherever he needed to go.”
Now 65, she continues to look after Newton and his younger sister without support from their parents.
The children’s parents left for South Africa many years ago, according to the grandmother.
She said she has not heard from them since they left, making her solely responsible for the children’s food, clothing, education and daily care.
Despite the burden she carries, the grandmother said her greatest concern was not what she had endured, but the future awaiting her grandchildren.
“All I want is for his future to be bright,” Mushavakanhu said. “He is intelligent, but he has not had an opportunity to attend a school that can support a child with needs like his.”
 Mushavakanhu believes Newton requires a specialised school or another learning environment capable of accommodating his mobility and writing difficulties.
However, the family has not received a professional assessment to determine whether he needs a specialised school, an inclusive mainstream school, assistive technology or another form of educational support.
Newton’s difficulty holding a pen does not mean he cannot learn.
Alternative methods of writing, completing schoolwork and communicating could allow him to participate in lessons if appropriate support becomes available.
Buhera boy with disability seeks educational support
While Mushavakanhu searches for an educational opportunity for Newton, she is also struggling to pay school fees for his 13-year-old sister.
The girl’s education remains important to the grandmother, who wants both children to have opportunities that poverty and parental absence have placed beyond her reach.
The family hopes the Buhera boy with disability can receive a medical assessment, an appropriate mobility aid and assistance finding a school capable of meeting his needs.
His younger sister also needs school-fee assistance to continue her education.
Children’s Voices did not obtain responses from the nearest school head or district education officials before publication.
For Newton, attending school would bring him closer to the independent life he imagines and give him a chance to care for the grandmother who once carried him on her back.
“I also want to take care of my grandmother and my younger sister,” Newton said.
“Gogo has done so much for me, and I want to repay her for all she has done.”
