An image of Janet Chapya/ PHOTO / COURTESY
“Sometime back, I applied for a casual job that required a passport photo and a curriculum vitae, and I was successful. Just when I got to the interview, the lady told me she didn’t think they would employ me because I had a missing arm, not even after I suggested working for a week for free just so they could assess my ability and prove that I was capable,” Janet Chapya said, a Kenyan woman with a disability.
For her, that was the painful reality she faced as an adult woman living with disability while trying to find a means of earning a living.
How the accident changed her life
Janet was not born with a disability.
Around 2012, while returning from a funeral in Busia, their vehicle was involved in a road accident between Busia and Eldoret, and she sustained injuries to her wrist and slightly to her palm.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, but unfortunately, the doctors did not clean her wound properly. After some time at home, while hoping for recovery, the worst happened.
Her wound worsened, forcing her to return to the hospital, though a different one this time, where the doctors revealed to her parents that the previous wound had not been cleaned properly, which had caused her arm to rot.
It was too late, and the only option was for her arm to be cut because there was no other alternative
“I was shattered, the reality was really painful, and despite being young just in Class Five then, I understood so well what that meant for me,” she lamented.
Since then, she says her life changed completely, and because it was her right hand that was affected, she had to learn how to use her left hand for everything. She trained herself to make her left hand active and to handle daily routines comfortably.
She says small challenges existed while growing up, though she called them common challenges, like being made fun of by peers in school or being stared at in public, which often made her uncomfortable. However, she added that such experiences never got to her at all.
Turning challenges into entrepreneurship
Now, about 14 years later, Janet says some of the challenges have persisted, especially while searching for employment.
She claims she has been discriminated against and disqualified several times simply because of her missing arm.
She noted that on the days she was lucky enough to get a job, she had to work twice as hard to prove that she was capable of doing the work.
Despite the challenges, Janet has grown into an entrepreneur running her own business, Corroucci Collection, in Kajiado County.
It is a small enterprise that sells handmade crochet items such as table mats and pouches, which she makes with the help of a small team.
She says she works with women with disabilities, caregivers, and a few who have no disabilities, as she believes in the power of inclusivity.
She further explained that she would not want to advocate for the inclusion of women with disabilities while excluding those without disabilities.
Championing inclusion as a tool to end GBV
Janet has grown to become a strong voice for the inclusion of women with disabilities in every space, believing that such inclusion will help reduce gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities.
Through her coordination, her team has started making toys specifically designed for children with disabilities, though she says any child can play with them.
The initiative is a financial project aimed at supporting an ongoing education programme for their children.
She aims to be financially stable and able to support their own initiatives, such as the education scholarships, even without the help of donors.
“Most of the women and girls with disability who are being violated lack financial stability to take action or even move out because they are fully dependent on someone, and this someone, in most cases, turns into the perpetrator,” she said.
“They remain in such situations because they have no other option, but if we give them a chance to explore their abilities in different fields, the story will definitely change for the better.”
According to Janet, the endless gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities stems from a lack of financial independence, which often results from a lack of skills.
She noted that many victims come from low-income areas.
“So, if we are empowered with skills, all will go well and abuse will reduce, as no one who can sustain their daily needs can stay somewhere they are abused mentally, emotionally, or physically,” she said.
Calling for policy change and inclusive education
She added that for real change to happen, policymakers must understand that disability can happen to anyone at any time, which calls for a lifestyle adjustment that may take a long time.
For inclusivity, she suggested that it should be integrated into the school syllabus from pre-school as part of normal life.
She added that in case of an accident, as life is unpredictable, transitioning to the new life will be easy, as it was already part of them from kindergarten.
“When children are taught the alphabet, everyone should also be taught the letters in Braille for the blind, in sign language for the deaf, and in the normal way,” she explained.
“This way, it makes communication, inclusivity, and understanding easier in the future, as language barriers have been the main issue,” she added.
She believes that such inclusivity will make it easier for children to play together in neighborhoods regardless of ability, as they will be able to communicate and understand each other.
Unlike now, people with disabilities often end up forming friendships only among themselves due to communication barriers.
Joining COVAW and growing as a leader
“I joined Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) three years ago through the help of Plan International to represent women with disabilities in business,” Janet said.
“Since then, I have been working with them on different projects, including the Inclusive and Empowered Feminist Movements in Africa project, aimed at fostering solidarity, sharing experiences, and strengthening inclusive advocacy against violence targeting women and girls with disabilities.”
She further noted that she has benefited greatly from the organisation, saying it has broadened her thinking and helped her address the issue of limited access to information.
“I have learned that people face a variety of challenges out here as persons with disabilities, but I have networked and connected with different people who have shared how they cope with their situations, which has empowered me wholly,” she shared.
“I have also been taught about avenues to seek donors or funders for a project, how to write a pitch that can land a grant, and how to package the best ideas to reach the right people who can help make them a reality.”
She emphasized that one major gap that still needs to be addressed is the medical aspect, noting that regular checkups, therapy, and medication for persons with disabilities are very expensive.
“These forces many to live without seeking healthcare, worsening their conditions,” she said.
She called upon anyone willing to help in any way to do so, saying that support in this area is urgently needed.
Encouraging independence
While concluding, Janet urged persons with disabilities to understand that people without disabilities do not owe them. She emphasized that they must learn to be sustainable and independent, with or without external help.
“I believe we can do it, we are just abled differently, meaning we are capable of doing almost all the things others do just differently, but with the same results,” she said.
About COVAW
COVAW is a Kenyan non-profit organization established in 1995 to address and prevent gender-based violence through advocacy, awareness, and empowerment programmes.
The organisation works to challenge social norms that perpetuate violence and inequality, with a special focus on women and girls.
COVAW partners with grassroots movements, government institutions, and international organisations to promote inclusive feminist leadership and support survivors of violence through legal aid, psychosocial support, and community empowerment.
Over the years, the organisation has been instrumental in influencing policies, strengthening protection mechanisms, and ensuring that the voices of marginalized women, including those with disabilities, are heard and represented in decision-making spaces.
