WHAT IS CHAELI MYCROFT IS FIGHTING FOR
As you walk down the street, you see a girl with a handicap. She has limited ability of her arms and legs. She is bound to a wheelchair. You feel sorry for her because she might have hard challenges to do the things you are easily able to do. Chaeli Mycroft is a South African child who is challenged by her Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions, such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking. Chaeli refuses to let her condition disable her. She doesn’t want people to feel sorry for her; she wants to be treated as an equal. At the age of nine, Chaeli wanted to be more independent by having a motorized wheelchair that better suits her. After getting her own wheelchair and experiencing more independence, Chaeli felt that she wanted to help other children who were faced with physical challenges. She started her own campaign called the Chaeli Campaign. Her campaign helps over 3000 children with handicaps by providing them with hope for acceptance and supportive products that allow them to become more independent. She is fighting for hope and equality.
Chaeli is hoping children with disabilities are accepted by others and will receive the same opportunities. Her hope didn’t only come out from her, her friends and her sister also gave her hope to believe in herself. Hope that children with challenges aren’t really different from others. “It’s what keeps us striving for the lives we deserve. I have hope for myself, but I also have hope for all other children with disabilities. I hope that my actions as an ability activist will leave the world more accepting and more accommodating for all people and not just people with disabilities, because we are all different and we all have the need to be accepted regardless of having a disability or not.” (From her own speech.)She decided to share this hopes to others. One of her hope is that she will give education. "We run an ECD inclusion programme in disadvantaged communities as well as support children with disabilities in mainstream schools. We have created a supplement to the Life Orientation curriculum that is being introduced into mainstream primary schools that focuses on creating more accepting school environments.(From Chaeli Campaign)" Because, herself noticed that hope is really important, she is giving them education. By giving an education it shows children that somebody believe in them so they can believe in themselves too. Like Chaeli believed in herself.
She is also fighting for the equality for disable children. She is providing a supportive products to make them as be independent as they could be. "Custom-made assistive devices are provided to improve posture and in support of the great work done by our therapists in making children more comfortable in their own bodies, whilst trying to improve functional use of hands and fingers as well.(Chaeli Campaign)" The most common thing that they are providing is wheelchairs. Chaeli wanted to be more independent by buying a wheelchair that supports her. The wheelchair was designed to help her more than any other ones, and to buy that her sister and her three closest friends started to earn money. Chaeli earned so much freedom from that so she decided to do the same thing for handicapped children. “A professional organization that annually helps more than 3000 children with disabilities in South Africa with equipment, physical therapy and which defends the rights and acceptance of disabled children.( The International Children’s Peace Prize)" By earning some money she gave them a wheelchair, hoping that it will give them as much freedom that she earned.
Chaeli Mycroft deserves the 2011 International Children's Peace Prize. Because Chaeli Mycroft is fighting for hope and equality for children with handicaps. She is trying to change the thoughts for disabled children. When you see a child or even a person, they deserves the same rights and the same needs with us. So rethink when you see a children bound to a wheelchair, even with a handicap they are able person.
sources used
"The Chaeli Campaign | Hope in Motion." 2005. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://chaelicampaign.co.za/>
"2011 Chaeli Mycroft." 2011. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://childrenspeaceprize.org/childrens-peace-price/2011-chaeli-mycroft/>
"Children's Peace Prize winner Chaeli Mycroft in South Africa ..." 2012. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24zQ13hQfKI>
