‘Every child is worth fighting for’
Samuel Macauley (32) is fighting for the most vulnerable people in Sierra Leone: children with disabilities who are living in poverty. Like a lion, he is tearing into the prejudices, stigmas and discrimination that these children have to face. “The sole aim of everything I do in life is to help others.”
Samuel is the Operations Director at development organisation One Family People (OFP), the Liliane Foundation’s national partner in Sierra Leone. “The Liliane Foundation is one of the few organisations that’s really doing something to help children with disabilities.”
What’s life like for people with disabilities in Sierra Leone?
“I’m seeing progress. There’s a greater awareness of these people’s rights because of the legislation now in place to strengthen their position.
However, we are still fighting persistent prejudices and stigmas, which sometimes even have fatal consequences. When a newborn child has a disability, it’s common for the parents not to accept it. Because they’re told that their child has been cursed and would be better off dead.”
Do you encounter stigmas like this a lot?
“Yes, but the consequences are often less extreme. For example, people who don’t want to go near a child with epilepsy because they’re frightened of being ‘contaminated’ by its saliva. Which is complete nonsense. Or when parents won’t let their child marry someone because their disabled and they don’t want someone like that in their family.”
What are the consequences of ideas like this?
“Misconceptions like this mean that children with disabilities don’t get the support and care they are entitled to. They’re ignored by the people around them – parents, family and teachers – because they think they’re just a waste of effort. And people with disabilities don’t get jobs in later life because employers don’t think they’ll be able to do their work.”
What are you doing to change this deep-rooted prejudice?
“One Family People is lobbying hard for politicians to pass or change laws and regulations. And then, when they do, we have to work with the government to translate the theory into actions that result in actual change.
For instance, we pushed hard for the national introduction of a law on radical inclusion in education. After the law had been passed, we taught teachers exactly what inclusive education involves and how schools should consider the needs of children with disabilities.”
What is your goal?
“I want to change negative perceptions about people with disabilities. That includes changing how people with disabilities view and think about themselves. Prejudice and stigmas affect their self-image too.”
Why is this necessary?
“You don’t achieve inclusion just by demanding that the government to do ‘A, B and C’; you have to work on yourself as well. So you gain the knowledge and skills you need to stand up for your rights if the government doesn’t keep its word. That’s why people with disabilities are at the heart of everything we do. They are the faces of and drive all our campaigns and programmes.”
What motivates you to do this work?
“I was literally brought up with the idea of making a difference to other people’s lives. My father was a teacher for almost 50 years and my mother managed an organisation for refugees from the civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002, ed.). I helped her and worked with amputees, for example. I’d never heard of inclusion back then. I just saw a huge need for change. I still have the same drive today. The sole aim of everything I do in life is to help others.”
What gives you the biggest sense of satisfaction?
“That’s got to be the work I do for the country’s forgotten, invisible children. Whose parents have given up hope. To me, the biggest success is getting parents like this to accept their children. And take care of and love their children without any outside help.”