Ep:#68 Life after spinal cord injury in Africa with Faustina Urassa

Imagine waking up in hospital discovering you have not only broken your spine and will never walk again. But then learning that you are also pregnant. When Faustina was about to start university in Tanzania in the year 2000, this was what she was facing. And today you will hear her story. Faustina Urassa is a spinal cord injury thriver, and founder and Executive Director at Songambele Initiative Organisation. Being a woman in Africa isn’t easy. And Faustina saw being a disabled woman in Africa as a death sentence. This is a story of a woman who not only came from a challenging experience, but one who refused to accept the status quo on all fronts and thrived as a result. Today we hear about the challenges she faced in the early years. No one in her family, including her, knew what a spinal cord injury was, let alone what it meant for her life moving forward. There wasn’t clear information on how someone with a spinal cord injury could safely deliver a baby. Would her disability compromise the health of her child? Was it even possible for her to ever be independent again? Faustina takes us on a journey from a spinal cord injury victim to a spinal cord injury thriver. We hear about how her life changed when she met others going through similar situations as her. She tells us about the power of self-awareness and self-acceptance. And the power and importance of community. Which all lead to why she founded Songambele. We hear about what life looks like for people once they have come into contact with Songambele and the power that is Faustina. This is one inspirational story. So, grab that favourite beverage or throw on those running shoes, and enjoy this conversation. And please don’t forget to let us know what you think of this episode, leave a review and subscribe. And if you would like to be reminded of future podcasts and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here. http://bit.ly/TIENewsletter And if you want to support Songambele, you can reach them here https://www.songambele.org/) and donation here (https://www.songambele.org/donate-1)