Elmi

Elmi's home

This post doesn't need a translation as this one is all about Elmi, the name of the young woman I have been writing about who has the amputation and for whom we were able to get the wheelchair donated from the local disabled person's organization. As I said in a previous post, we have been working on getting all the forms in and documents gathered to put her application to the province for training in Solo, Java as her mother has now given permission for her to go. She is now 19, the same age as War who I wrote about last May who we were also working to get out to training but who died before he could leave.

 I have resisted posting this Blog until Elmi was in the air, which she is today, leaving early this morning with 4 others chosen to go, in the accompanyment of a provincial staff person to get them settled at the school.

front of home

papers to sign

We went Friday to Elmi's home in the village, a 1 1/2 hour ride away to be there for her meeting with the provincial staff person for the asssessment meeting. (my first time to ride my own bike this far and the roads are atrocious in this village) It was confirmed that another person had definitely dropped out so Elmi could join the current group going and leave on Monday, today! There was great excitment and Elmi, sitting so proudly in her wheelchair was ecstatic. Her demeanor since rising off of the floor to be able to sit at eye level with everyone else has brightened and when she gets to Solo she will be meeting for the first time others who are in the same or similar situation and I think she will expand her horizons when it comes to accessibiity and maybe even learn some tricks to getting around easier. She really is housebound at present due to the inaccessible home, mud yard and road made of rocks and the steep hill where they live. BUT, one step at a time - I get ahead of myself looking at her other barriers but hopefully she will be her own best advocate when she returns. She hopes to study computer operations over the next 10 months and she will be tested for aptitude when she gets there. There are many other choices open to her as well and she may well change her focus on arrival.
In the meantime, she is off as of today, her mother was too tearful to come to Kupang to see her off, but was strong enough to give permission - a big step here as young people look to their elders for that support or they would not take these steps. Elmi's Mom is a widow, so she will certainly miss her for the next months.

Elmi and her craft work

We met with the village head after the time at Elmi's and Berti explained  why we were out there that day. He was amazed that Elmi could go off without her mother to lift her and help her with personal daily living needs and Berti used this as the teachable moment to explain how independent Elmi is and will be even more so on return. He couldn't believe that she could dress, toilet and bath herself and also clean the house and prepare food. He was suddenly very tearful as Berti talked and she later explained to me that it was his worry for her that brought the tears. (surprising to me in an Indonesian man)
My own lightbulb went on when I realized the biggest need here is the teaching about how people with missing limbs can be independent in all ways, and that the barriers are transportation and people's lack of knowledge. Usually those outside of their own family only see them sitting on the sidelines or in their own home, doing nothing. They don't see them in their daily life when they drop by for a visit. And some admitted that they haven't seen Elmi since her accidnet as they are afraid to see her legs cut off!
Still work to do!
Enjoy the photos from Friday.

neighbour gets us coconuts - barefoot to the top!