“Before Give Us Wings came we sat together for many years to comfort each other. Now we have real hope that our lives can be different. Because we are with Give Us Wings people know that we are somebody even with our disabilities.” ~ Margaret, Member of Mari Group
We found the Maari Group huddled in decrepit homes in the Bison slums in 1999. Shunned by the community because each of these 24 families had a disabled family member, the members of the Maari group desperately needed help to escape the horrible circumstances in which they were forced to live.
A member of the Maari Group, on the left she is in front the place she lived in in the Bison slums, at right she is entering her new home built with help from Give Us Wings.
Give Us Wings helped the Maari Group obtain medical care they needed so desperately. Give Us Wings also provided business training and small business loans so the families could start supporting themselves. In 2012, Give Us Wings welcomed the Maari families into their new homes located together in their own estate. The estate is handicapped accessible and the toilets have been adapted for them.
Some children of Maari Group members happily playing in their fenced estate where they are safe from the taunts of others.
Today, the Maari Group lives on their estate, protecting and helping one another. They no longer fear that someone might beat or injure them. They are healthier and they are beginning to earn enough money from their businesses to support themselves. Give Us Wings continues to work with Maari to ensure that their lives continue to improve.
Members of the Maari Group