Nkayi snake bite victim gets artificial limb

LEONARD Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe has come to the rescue of a 16-year-old Nkayi girl who crawls to school following the amputation of her leg after she was bitten by a snake in 2016.

Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe, the Harare-based orthopaedic centre offered to provide the artificial leg at no cost to the girl so that she can continue with her education without a challenge.

The girl was attacked by the snake while in Grade Four and now she is in Form Two at Tsheli Secondary School in Nkayi.

All along she was struggling to go to school but now she will start the second term with the new artificial leg.

Officials from the organisation yesterday visited the girl in Cowdray Park suburb where she is living with relatives.

Nomabutho Ncube's world collapsed when she was bitten by a snake at night while coming from a bus stop to receive her sports attire which had been sent from Bulawayo.

The leg was amputated at Gweru Provincial Hospital, three months after she was attacked by the snake.
Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe business development manager Mr Cacius Chigwida said they got to know about the girl's plight after it was published in Chronicle.

"When we saw the story and the kind of money that was needed I told my director that we will donate to her because her plight of having challenges going to school yet she is passionate about education touched me. We have a department that does the prosthesis fabrication and when I looked at the picture we committed to helping her. Since we were coming for the ZITF we thought it would be cheaper for us to do all the preliminary work then we can go back and do the fabrication and she can come over with her relative to complete the process in Harare," she said.

Mr Chigwida said her organisation is working with the Government to attend to such cases as there are many in need of artificial legs.

He said they have visited a number of communities to assist.

"We are trying to fabricate prostheses which are durable and can take those who use them for a considerable time before needing a replacement. Since 2018 when we started our workshop that produces artificial legs we have not had many people who have come back needing another one. This will assist her to go to school without any challenge as well as perform her house chores," he said.
Mr Chigwida said during the ZITF they will be offering free disability assessment at their stand in Hall three.

He urged Bulawayo residents, organisations dealing with people living with disabilities and those who reside within a 20km radius from Bulawayo to visit their stand.

"We are at ZITF and our main aim is publicity because there are a number of people in her condition who do not know that we offer that kind of a service here in Zimbabwe. Some travel to South Africa and India for a service we offer in the country. So during ZITF we are offering free assessment in Bulawayo and areas in the 20 km radius where people can ask us to come and do disability assessment and we give correct prescriptions according to one`s condition," he said.

Mr Chigwida said disability assessments are crucial before anything prescribed is made as that has the potential to either worsen the situation or improve it.