 Good morning and welcome back to I-254 in the morning. My name is Faith Musoli and just in case you joining us it's WCW. On this segment we celebrate the strength of a woman and today in studio we are speaking to Zipora Nyaboke. She was born with one hand and the father took off when she was around 80 years but this has not dreamed has not deemed her dreams in life. Engtejas on all our social media platforms at Y-254 channel at Faith Musoli, the hashtag is why in the morning. Karibuswana. It's a pleasure having you this morning. The pleasure is all mine. So who is Zipora Nyaboke? Zipora Nyaboke is a beautiful woman, I'm 22 years old, currently turning 23 in April. I'm living with a disability but I'm proud of the disability because it has shown me several and several ways to be a better version of myself. So where did you go to school? I started at primary from those small schools. I went to high school in Sironga Girls High School. I went to campus in Puan University where I did diploma in computer science and practically that. So how was life in school? You went to boarding school. So how was life? You had to carry your own water to the bathroom. How was life in high school? Life was very interesting because when you were little, around 7, 8 years I was supposed to go to boarding school. So I was so eager waiting to go to boarding school but my mum was like, no, you just go to boarding school in high school or what not. And then I went to boarding school in Form 1. I was so excited. I was like, this is not my space. This is not going to be me. Mum is not going to be around. I was experiencing that freedom, that rebellion and everything. So in high school, when people were crying my parents had left them to go home. I was just so excited because it's going to be a new journey. It's going to be a new experience without mum every now and then. She's there for me. Carrying water was just interesting but I'd gotten used to doing a lot of chores at home. So carrying water was just normal. But the school that I went to, I think I was the only person with disability. I've studied in schools, not special schools just normal schools. I hate to say this but normal. I went to a girl high school so the girls I think was so shocked like I could do a lot of stuff. I remember even the principal called me and she was like, how are you? What's your name? Are you able to do normal things? And then I'm like, yeah, I can do everything by my own. She was just so shocked that I can even wash the clothes myself. She even told the captain that no, you should just be helping her but it was just an interesting journey in high school very, very, very much. So you never faced bullies bullying you because of your state? I don't think I was bullied. I think I bullied them more. In primary, people used to fear me. I don't know if it's fear or I just took it in. So they would just see me and then they would be like, oh my goodness, that girl has one hand and what does she do? And then I would just take that as an advantage and be like, I can do anything. You should not see me different or what not. I was not bullied like normal bullying. So where did you go to Kampas and what did you study in Kampas? I went to Kampas in Puan University. It's in Kost. I studied computer science, diploma in computer science. I graduated in 2019. So how was life generally growing up now that I was listening to some of your stories before and you mentioned somewhere that your dad took off when you were around eight years old. So how was life being raised by a single mother or a child living with disabilities? I want to say, as you said, this is woman. Strength of a woman. Strength of a woman. That is indeed strength of a woman. She's so strong. I don't know how she did it, but she did it. You see, when you're in the playgrounds, you see fathers with their children and then they'll be like, oh my God, Aishita was me or what. But my mom was there for me through thick and thin. I cannot say, remember, even if the years that my dad was there, I cannot say, remember, if I had any good memories of him, I have good memories of my mom. I have the best memories. Even when I first something, I go to her and be like, mami sasako anini minikoivi. And then she was like, it's just beautiful. It's just you. You're beautiful like you are. Yeah, exactly. You're beautiful like you are. I don't think my mom treated me with a disability. She just saw me as a normal person. My family, per se, they did not treat me with a disability because they did not exclude me from other things. I remember when I was a little bit small, I wanted to play the swing with other kids. You see, in the swing, you have to sit and balance with your two hands. And then hold their hands. And then swing. I don't have balance per se. I think I don't have balance. So my friends are like, ziputawu miya. Don't try that. Ziputawu miya. And then I was like, no, I have to do it because I'll have to prove to you that I can do it. I can do it. I sat there. Yeah, I did fall down. Yeah, I did fall down. But yeah, it was just, I did fall down. I went to my mom. And she was like, what were you thinking? Like going on that swing. And then I was like, I don't know. I just wanted to be like. Like other children. Yeah, I wanted to be like other children. Like they can do other games that I cannot do. Why should I not do other games? And then my mom was like, just play. Like just enjoy yourself. Just play you're still a child. And so. Okay. Your first born in your family or your second born or how many are you in your family? Our family has two. I'm the first born and then the last born is a boy. He's around 13. So there's that huge gap difference and the sibling rivalry and everything. Yeah. Actually, yeah, and not to sour, but my nephews, I have nephews. Like one of them when he was so small, he was a certain day he just started crying. Then I was like, Makas, ni nimbaya? Then I was like, I just want to take off my hand and give it to you. Like how can you be living with one hand? And then it just touched me. And I was just sitting there wondering how do I explain to this child this small baby that you cannot just plug out your arm, like a doli and then plug it back in. But like he cried the entire day. Like he's so massive. He was like, I just want to give you my hand because I see like you're struggling a lot and everything. But with time he's like, Zipi, you're the coolest person I've ever seen. Like how do you do this? How do you do this? He's just so amazed with everything. My brother, actually the other day I asked him, do you view me differently? Because now he's grown up, kidoko, he's 13. So he was like, actually I don't see anything different with you. But every time my friends just, you see I go to their school, he's in boarding. I go to their school and then he's like, every time my friends ask me, what's wrong with your sister? Does she do this and this and this? And then I'm like, actually she does everything so perfect. Like everything in her is just perfect. Like I don't view her like a person with one hand, it does not understand the term disability but now I think, so he says that it does not view me with one hand, it just sees me with like Zipi. Just as simple as Zipi. And so speaking of doing everything like any other person, how do you go around cooking? Ah, I cook, you see, I tend to think like, God makes no mistakes. So if you see in, let's say in blind people, when you don't have vision, you're given with the sixth sense, like all your other senses enlightened, you see. So with me I don't have the left hand, but with time I decided, I think with training, I just kicked in. I started doing things with my left leg. Like I can just cook with my left leg, wash with my left leg, yeah. And so speaking of doing things cooking with my left leg, there is this type of people when you're at a koambia, who can put it with the left hand. They'll be like, I'll put it with my left hand. So I can imagine you cooking with your left, okay, using your leg as the other hand. Have you met such people when you're at a semi-kai? Meziyezi kula-chakula, may cut one of them. Actually speaking of that, yesterday I posted a clip of me cutting vegetables on TikTok and then people were like, ah, timu tu mboga maramoj and then I was like, eh, exactly. But that's always in one mboga, nuhu enyanya, but it's something that I enjoy doing. Like you can't stop me from doing that, actually. It's your choice. We can buy in mboga, you make katoa, but you can't buy onion. Eh, you make katoa katoa. Exactly, that is my point. But okay, you can get that. Yokitiyo kata, kata mavitu, but this is a semi, like come on, taku kata in a certain way. Like it's something that I enjoy doing. So like it's your own decision that you as a person kama utakulatakulangunisawa, but everyone that I cook for my food says that it's the best food. No bragging though, but it's the sweetest food. And yeah, I've not faced that per se, but initially like in, in campus, you see when you have friends over and everything, like I was so skeptical about cooking for people. You see, I would also have the same mindset that they will say that ah, amipika namugul, siyizi kula, you see. Like so, majority of my friends actually, the first time they saw me do anything was when I started a YouTube channel and then they were like, haja, zipi you can cook, even my family, like could just get a shock. Like my cousin the other day, she was like, oh my goodness, I'm watching a video of you cooking. You are sure your girl will leave her and then I'm like, you're serious? Like you're my cousin. She was like, honestly, I've never seen you cook, kabisa kabisa, because at home, everyone is just there, I'll just cook the rice, the suviyazi and everything, but they will gali, I'll just be like, ah, mchumigina, piki, you see. And how do you cook that? It's just the number one, but it's a kushika na shika namugul. Nasi jai chomek amugul, but I make chomek amkona. Kipika chaupo and everything. I know it's weird, but I make chomek amkona, but I make chomek amgun, kipika ogali. Wow. So she was also shocked as you are. Zipuneza pika ogali, aje, yet unafaku kamata, kama kamata with the other hand. Alapu ugeuse, eve vizuri, it turns out just great. Wow. And so there was somewhere you mentioned that you at times think that if you had both hands, you'd be having a decent job. Have you underwent any form of discrimination as a person living with disability before maybe in a job interview in one place? Ya, ya, I have. I have actually. My first job interview, it was not big, but it was something that I was looking forward to to get extra cash and everything. So my first job interview, that day I was so, so excited. Like, nika mumta na damaju. So as I reached there, like the person, I passed the several, kuna kuchuja marakada. So nika chuja the first time, the second time and the third time. So every time I just succeeded, I just passed through and everything. So on reaching the final stage where the manager, I think it's the manager, talks to you and everything, the guy was like, I had not seen myself as a disability in those other nini. Like I was not in those other stages, I was not being eliminated. So the guy was like, so I want someone who can type. Can you type? I was shocked like, yeah I can type. I did computer science. So do you expect? I've even given you my CV and everything. Funny enough, I was the only one around 200 people with a decent CV, with everything. Like my papers are well organized. And then I was like, I've just given you my documents. I did computer so I can type. You see, I can type. Like I cannot go to a computer science class and not know how to type. And then the guy was like, I want someone who types so fast. Can you type? Actually I was so shocked. I panicked. I said yeah, I can type fast. Which is true, I can type fast. But now the time he was giving me, I panicked, I said around five minutes and come to think of it, five minutes is a lot. But yeah, that time I was being discriminated of having a disability. The person just said, I don't think you're going to be an asset to my company because you have a disability. Yeah, I was shocked. That was the first time I had faced Yeah, he said that I don't think I want you in my company because like, you're going to be Yeah, exactly. I had had so many stories like people saying that disabled people are being discriminated by that time I faced it like face to face and then I was like, oh, this really does happen in this society. Like it's the 21st century but how could you do that? Yeah, but anyway, it's life. Yeah. And you live to fight another thing. Yeah, exactly. And maybe God had had some other purpose in main life so God makes no mistakes. Yeah. So do you think that the government is doing enough to protect or rather cater for people living with disability? Oh my goodness. So I think the government the government is doing something not enough per se because like for people with disabilities you know it's not just the physical disability there is the hearing there is the other types of disabilities like let's say in the blind people they are being issued with the cans and everything but like in other people it's not it does not per se how can I put it? It's not there it's there but it's there so come as for me I don't think I've ever benefitted from the government. Yes I do have a kind of disability yes I'm a registered member of National Cancer disability but like I don't think that it gives us other opportunities as much as the opportunities are there but I love that the government nowadays it has opportunities set aside for people with disabilities that means that their mindset have come to think of that the people with disabilities are also human beings you get initially I think it was just a big issue that's a big step for them but other than that they really have to work hard on what they are doing like hard and better but wherever the small things that they are doing it's just okay because they are offering sunscreen to be with albinism they are offering the cans they are offering mobility devices but in other cases they need to do better but they are doing something which is a good start so moving on let's talk about your hassle I can see the t-shirt you are putting on be your own kind of beautiful so you do customised t-shirts Ya I do customised t-shirts because I don't think that with or without a disability people like as a person you feel that you are not your own kind of beautiful there are times where you feel that ah I am not pretty like she was I am just a plus size I wish I was size 4 I am size 14 so I sell these t-shirts saying be your own kind of beautiful because you cannot compare yourself to any other faith is beautiful the way you are I am beautiful there exactly so we won't be the same if you are the same like there won't be another faith there won't be another zippora so I make this t-shirt saying you should be your own person should be your own kind of beautiful and you run a YouTube channel too I do run a YouTube channel it's Zipporongera a YouTube channel it's a space where I talk about living with a disability where we remind each other me and my fans me and my viewers we remind each other that we are in this world for a purpose you might feel that you are down at some point you might feel that you are not doing something in life but remember God makes no mistakes He made you the way you are you are unique so in that channel we remind each other about that and I show people how I do things per se wash clothes and everything those that won't ask me so I just show them how I will do it on a normal day and for someone who is watching you this morning and wish to support you where can he or she get your customized t-shirt you can get my customized t-shirt at Instagram or Facebook at Osam underscore with underscore flows you can get them there they come in three colors white mustard and black so I am wearing the black one I also have other t-shirts it's written flow sum flow sum meaning awesome with flows so we almost coming to the end of the show but before we get there I would like you to talk to someone out there who is living with disability and he feels like it's the end like he can't do anything else and this is the end of me talk to that young girl out there or boy out there who sees that mimi kama ngekwa na miko nombili ngefanya 123 but now that I don't my world is crumbled so I want to say that you out there that you think that the world is crumbling the world is not like you just have to change your mindset just remember that you are your own person like no one can compare to you like you faced many obstacles that people have not faced so like if you manage to reach a certain age now maybe people so that you won't reach it and you reached it please just continue please continue being your own kind of beautiful you will conquer this world the world is beautiful outside there the world is big enough for everyone for everyone to fit in it and remember to be your own kind of beautiful like God makes no mistakes you are in this earth for a purpose a good purpose actually so your time will come if you feel that it has not come yet your time will still come wow so remind people your social media handles okay at YouTube I'm Zipora Ongera at Instagram at Aynsini or Ziporanya Boke at TikTok I'm at Aynsini and then at Facebook I'm at Ziporanya Boke and please remember to buy my t-shirts remember to support a small business person and remember to be your own kind of beautiful thank you so much for coming thank you so much Faith for having me wow and so they say that when your path is so difficult then your calling might just be higher thank you for watching I've been your host Faith Musuli Kayesu is up next with Girl's Talk