Georgian grad changing attitudes in small African country

Victor Musawa is using skills he learned in Barrie to change the face of disability in a tiny African country.

"I believe we are giving children a future now in Malawi," he says, confidently.

"We are changing attitudes. We are giving children who have disabilities some hope ... and that is something they didn't have before."

Musawa graduated from the Communicative Disorders Assistant certificate program at Barrie's Georgian College in 2006 and returned home to Malawi where he was born and raised.

Passion and determination led him to co-found the Rehab Clinic and Children’s Education Centre in 2013, in Blantyre, Malawi's second-largest city.

His kindness and compassion were new and refreshing for children and their parents who flocked to the clinic for help.

About 70 per cent of the children have cerebral palsy, others have varying degrees of Down Syndrome, or other disabilities.

Musawa, 35, returned to Georgian for the first time Thursday, to share his story with students and staff.

"In my country, sadly, children with disabilities are not treated well," he said.

"They are beaten or abused or maybe abandoned. People think they are useless."

He says that parents who must raise disabled children believe they are "punishment from God."

"They are very ashamed to have these children, and so they will isolate them. There are traditions and beliefs."

And so, armed with his Canadian experience, Masawa and his team at the treatment centre are determined to change attitudes.

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa, bordered by Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

One of the smallest countries on the continent, it spans over 118,000 square kilometres, and is home to about 17 million people.

Ironically, Malawi is nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa."

“At Georgian, I learned how to be a leader,” Musawa says, flashing a broad smile.

But it was during a work placement at Bloorview Children's Hospital in Toronto that he realized that he had to bring a new way of thinking to Malawi.

"When I saw them being accepted over here I couldn't believe it," he said. "I realized we were so far from the truth in Malawi. We need to make some changes."

The opportunity he had been waiting for came when the speech and hearing program he developed for his previous employer was discontinued.

"I knew I had to do something for the children who were left without any treatment in one of the poorest countries in the world," he said.

What started as “tiny thinking” as he calls it, grew into a four-room clinic that has 89 registered fulltime children and a waiting list of 200 more who are desperate to access the services.

Currently, a team of eight full and part-time professionals including Masawa, offer support for speech, language and hearing disorders, and assistance to children with learning disabilities.

It's truly a labour of love.

"If I looked at the job in terms of how much money I make, I would have been in Canada working many years ago," he said. "But if I did that, I would be doing a very, very big injustice to my people."

With support of a few working class parents of his patients, Musawa rents the house and purchases supplies.

Since then, the clinic has become a registered charity and this core group has developed into its board of trustees.

Musawa also fundraises via the network he built while living in Canada and that money pays the feeding program for the kids.

In 2014, students from Georgian’s Communicative Disorders Assistant program ran a campaign called Voiceless for Victor and raised $2,175 for the clinic.

"My dream is to see the clinic grow and receive support from the government to help more children," he said. 

“I went to Canada for one year and I was able to build this, but it belongs to the community. I want to have more clinics in more communities.”

And if running the clinic wasn't enough success, the affable Masawa ran in the 2014 general election and became a Member of Parliament in Malawi representing Mulanje Bale.

"I think it's another way I can help and have an impact," he said.

He serves as the vice chairperson of the health committee and continues advocating for safe drinking water, education for young girls and infrastructure development.

After reuniting with many friends, Musawa is looking forward to returning home at the end of December.

"It was hard to leave and I really miss the kids," he said. "They are so much fun. I just love what I do because of them."