'The Girl in a cage': Meet 26-year-old caged ‘disabled Mukayatu’

Imagine being isolated and locked up in a cage with horrifying conditions and no one to talk to or play with over decades. That is the story of Mukayatu Azumi Kayaba, a 26-year-old young lady suffering from various forms of disabilities.

Azumi, as she is affectionately called by her grandmother who she lives with at Nkwanta in the Volta region, was abandoned by her own mother at a very tender age due to an illness which rendered her incapacitated. She neither walks nor crawls and only moves by dragging her buttocks on the ground.

She was abandoned and ‘caged’ because her family believed she was an “evil and useless child” and thus cannot live among them.

At age 26, Mukayatu Azumi canbe mistaken to be a six-year-old child to malnutrition, poor hygienic environment, isolation, rejection and lack of other basic needs from her family and the community.

She lives in a sorry state as she is unable to perform basic daily living activities such as brushing of teeth, cutting of nails and hair, washing of clothes, among others.

She only get the chance to bath and change her clothes once in two or three weeks. Her inability to walk leaves her with no choice than to ease herself in her room and lives in the mess for weeks unchanged.

Crippled Mukaya is unable to communicate her needs and seems to have developed phobia towards people due to rejection.

The isolate structure she been living in for the past 26 years is in a deplorable state.

Narrating Mukaya’s condition, her aged grandmother blamed poverty for their situation which according to her, has led to the deteriorating health of her granddaughter.

She is appealing to philanthropists, NGOs and organisations to assist her take care of the health needs of Mukayatu.

Mukayatu’s situation is one of the many special cases of persons living with disability in the Nkwanta South Municipality.

They are marginalized and discriminated against by even their families and lack access to formal education.

This report seeks to awaken authorities in the municipality to build rehabilitation centre, a special need school or a vocational centre to aid PWDs in the Nkwanta South Municipality.

To help Mukayatu, kindly contact Beyond FM Presenter, Cindy D. M Asamoah on 0245535624. Cindy has been leading the campaign solicit funds for Mukayatu’s medical care.