Where our society has listened, it listens judgmentally.
I'm Dorothy Nakato Mubezi.
I'm a woman with psychosocial disabilities, Indigenous.
And I'm a rural woman.
I'm Irene, officially. And Mrs. Isiko, popularly.
Everybody knows me as Mrs. Isiko.
And that is actually what I am,
because I married to Mr. Isiko.
I'm a teacher by profession,
a farmer by practice.
As a person with psychosocial disabilities, I grew up in the rural,
in highly poverty-stricken family.
And I have a physical disability.
As a young girl with physical disability, it was challenging.
Going to school was a little hard.
We had to walk very long distances, but I persevered.
Though the community was like, this girl cannot manage to walk,
I was able to make it.
I went through primary school and I performed very well, joined a very good school,
one of the best schools in Uganda.
Because of all the surrounding of lack of fees,
thinking about home, my other siblings are not doing well,
no food at home,
I think so many thoughts ran around me and the situation,
so I developed a mental health breakdown,
but I was able to make it and any other girl can make it.
So finally I managed.
I went through school. It is in high level, and I was able to make it up to the university.
I worked with Compassion for a period of eight years.
Thereafter in 2017, I joined Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support and Recovery Program.
Joining Triumph was such an opportunity for me.
Advocacy for disability started from there.
Through Triumph, I was able to apply for IDA program,
International Disability Alliance Program of bridge therapy, the SDGs training.
They built my capacity.
I came to realize my rights as they trained us through the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
And I also realized that, of course, we all have equal rights.
I started my advocacy with the knowledge of the CRPD,
I applied and successfully offered a fellowship with
the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry under the International Disability Alliance fellowship programs.
The fellowship built my capacity more.
I was able to speak to different forums like the Conference of the State Parties, the Global Disability Summit.
After that fellowship, I got another fellowship with Transforming Communities for Inclusion.
That is mainly working on community inclusion because here in Uganda 99% of the national budget
goes into put them [people with psychosocial disabilities] in hospital.
There is no budget here that is put aside for community inclusion.
Now, I'm happy to share with you
I got one of the prestigious award with Zero Project.
The only person came from Africa who had an innovative solution that is impactful and scalable.
So I was also put on the impact transfer program to make sure that this innovation
is scaled to other parts of the country or to other parts of the Africa.
We call the solution as Support My Choice.
We can overcome and I encourage all women,
all young girls,
that we can make it.
Life is possible.
Be the self advocate.
Advocate for your rights.
Stand for your rights.
I was off teaching for two years as a result of that accident
where I fell and hit the back of my head on the floor, concrete.
It was very bad to think that I cannot coordinate again.
I have been reading books. I'm actually addicted to reading books.
Before working with the Triumph as an organization, I was working.
I was looking after people who had mental challenges.
And somehow, for reasons I don't understand, I would get the best out of them.
So I said, "How can I fear to get to the best of myself?"
I tried to chase my retirement.
It was being so difficult because sometimes I would function and sometimes I wouldn't function well.
I said, "What can I do with myself?"
I had been looking after cattle.
Before that I had some two dairy animals. So I went to my headmaster
and I said, "Can you help me?," and I get another two.
I want to go home and try to see if I can start something again.
Because in my heart I realized that doing what I had done professionally,
I was coming to the end of that road.
But it shouldn't be the end of the road for my life.
I said, "Well, that is one road ending.
There is yet another road." I opted for dairy farming
where I have been ever since that time. I've been rearing these animals.
I now have 10 dairy animals that I am looking after,
and they have given me an income and I'm a happy woman.
I realize that the hecticism of a secondary school teacher can be replaced with a more relaxed life,
because that's what I was told, that with the brain there is no medicine.
The only medicine is to go home, sit and relax and rest.
Do something you enjoy doing, and that's what I've been doing.
I had someone gave me a goat also.
And that two goats as multiplied. Last year I sold over 30 goats.
And now I have 24.
Still, I'm starting again.
Whenever they go up to 50, I sell off.
And I did grow bananas here, very beautiful plantation.
And I made a lot of money out of it.
Plus many, many other small things that I have been doing for myself.
But most especially, I love people.
I hate to see people suffering.
Now, when I almost became useless because of that accident,
when I discovered myself, I discovered that there are so many
other people who could be helped if only they could rediscover themselves.
My husband's last born got a brain palsy. I took her on board.
But as I talk now, she's a useful member in the family.
I look to her, have been nice to her. We have helped her to find a cause to be proud of herself.
And it makes me feel proud to know that I've given someone cause to feel human.
I have a discovery that sometimes people are mentally sick because they are failing to realize their essence of life.
I believe I've come to realize that there are other underlying causes that need to be addressed.
People need to be made to feel happy,
accepted,
be involved in a community,
be allowed to be cared for.
And I think I'm now more useful and more appreciated
after falling out of that job that I went to school to study,
and that's what I'm trying to do.
People who need recognition,
other people I'm recognizing and they recognize me, by the way.
I have given life meaning
and I think there is nothing more rewarding than that.