Staff Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019M not a person living with a disability. I don\u2019t live with my disability; I live with my family. I am a person with a disability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The above are some sentiments shared during a talk by a Namibian woman with a disability, Selma Niilenge (23), who formed part of a meeting organised by the Young Feminist Movement Namibia (Y-FEM Namibia), which focused on women human rights defenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting delved into cross-cutting issues, which include, among others, disability rights, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, GBV and the overall status of women\u2019s rights issues in Namibia, the number of movements there are, and the challenges they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the many participants at the event, Niilenge shared her journey during the workshop, including the stigma she sometimes faces from healthcare professionals and the challenges related to finding formal employment as a woman with a disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am glad to have been invited to the feminist event; it provided me with a safe space. I shared some of the experiences I have faced as a person in a wheelchair. I once visited a healthcare centre and the doctor and three nurses made me feel uncomfortable. I had come for an HIV test and they acted puzzled and asked me why I was getting tested. They asked in surprise, \u2018Oh, are you having a partner?\u2019 Is it because I am a person with a disability? Deep down I was realty, hurt, it would have been better if the question was posed when I was alone with one nurse, but they were three,\u201d Niilenge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that, at times, her challenges include societal stigma, especially from some people working in the public transport sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI once went to school and the taxi driver was not willing to help me out of the taxi. I got late for my lecture just because he did not wish to help me. I had to call security guards from campus to come carry me out of the taxi,\u201d Niilenge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The young activist said that she, however, remains determined and resolute after having completed her studies in Travel and Tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have been searching for work since 2024, but with no luck\u2026 I applied to tourism companies, travel agencies, and other institutions. They do not call back. I want to find out why they are not employing me? Is it because I have a disability? I have the hands and the mind required to do the work. I might be disabled, but my mind is net Shap,\u201d a resilient Niilenge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that despite troubles with entering the formal job market, she has continued to make progress in the fields of disability sport and civil society organisations, and stated that she is part of the Namibian Association of Physical Disabilities and the Tulunga organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a parting shot, Niilenge urged Namibians not to judge those with physical disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust because I am in this wheelchair, they call it my weakness, but I call it my strength because without it I wouldn\u2019t be here. They shouldn\u2019t judge just because I am like this. I believe that God created me for a purpose,\u201d Niilenge concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GO GETTER: Selma Niilenge. Photo: Zorena Jantze<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff Reporter \u201cI\u2019M not a person living with a disability. I don\u2019t live with my disability; I live with my family. I am a person with a disability.\u201d The above are some sentiments shared during a talk by a Namibian woman with a disability, Selma Niilenge (23), who formed part of a meeting organised by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":398999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-398996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n