00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Why did these gifted hands have to remove so many obstacles
00:07 on their way to the top?
00:08 Most of my life, I struggled to come to terms
00:11 with my disability and was often depressed.
00:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:20 Before Gift Mlenga became an award-winning Zambian makeup
00:23 artist, she was often shunned by those around her.
00:26 How did she manage to live her dream life after all?
00:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:36 I started doing my makeup in 2020.
00:42 That was when I decided to see if I can do something
00:49 with my hands.
00:51 I thought of, let me try this, if I can do it or not,
00:55 because it's not every time a person with a disability
00:59 would come up with a skill and challenge yourself
01:02 that you can do it or not.
01:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:09 I made Gift through Sowelangi, one of my students
01:13 who had attended an online class.
01:15 She wanted to pay for Gift to attend one of my online classes
01:19 for makeup.
01:20 I believe she was very talented.
01:22 And the only thing she needed was a little more guidance
01:25 on makeup.
01:27 Her classes used to take longer because I
01:28 had to give her breaks to rest her leg.
01:31 But apart from that, I didn't have any challenges with her.
01:34 We are always feeling pity for ourselves.
01:36 But I was like, no, I have to stand on my own.
01:39 And I have to do this.
01:40 I have to try it, if I can do it or not.
01:42 To stand on one's own is not exactly easy for people
01:45 with disabilities in Zambia, even though disabilities
01:48 due to accidents, illnesses, or congenital conditions
01:52 are widespread.
01:53 Why was it so hard for Gift to accept this?
01:58 It was really hard for me to accept who I was.
02:01 It took my lifetime just for me to accept that I'm like this.
02:05 I don't have a hand.
02:07 I use an artificial leg.
02:09 Sometimes you'd be with your friends.
02:12 You're there.
02:12 You're playing.
02:13 And someone would just say, look at her.
02:14 She doesn't have a hand.
02:15 So I really took that to personal
02:19 because I used to ask my parents a lot, why does it have to be me?
02:25 Why should you give birth to someone like me?
02:27 It has never been easy.
02:32 I would do makeup on someone.
02:34 And then that person goes out, tells the other people,
02:38 no, it's Gift who did my makeup.
02:40 And then that person doesn't know me in person.
02:43 Then she comes.
02:44 She'll be like, how is she going to do my makeup?
02:48 She doesn't have a hand.
02:49 Look the way she is.
02:50 So people would look down on me.
02:52 That really made me feel so bad.
02:54 According to the World Bank, in 2021, an estimated 15%
02:59 of the Zambian population was disabled.
03:02 Like many of them, Gift struggled
03:04 with barriers to education, health care, and employment.
03:09 However, in 2021, she became Miss Disability.
03:13 But what was the next step?
03:17 There was a video that I posted when I was doing makeup and hair
03:21 on my clients.
03:22 I was so surprised.
03:23 I was very shocked.
03:24 I was amazed.
03:25 I was happy.
03:26 I was excited.
03:27 Everything, you know.
03:29 Because within a week, the video that I posted
03:33 got about a million views, thousands of likes,
03:38 and thousands of comments.
03:42 I was really super excited because I didn't expect anything
03:46 like that to happen.
03:47 I do beauty makeup, special effects.
03:56 My hands can also cut the hair, yes.
03:59 After cutting, when the client wants me to dye the hair,
04:05 I do that also.
04:06 It was through Facebook.
04:08 I was going through my newsfeed.
04:10 Then I came across somebody who's physically challenged.
04:15 And I got really inspired.
04:19 And I really wanted her to do the first bit of my face.
04:23 It's been over a year.
04:28 And the reason being, she's somebody
04:32 that knows what I like.
04:35 And she does a good job.
04:44 Zambia has established a legal framework
04:47 to support people with disabilities.
04:49 Together with the National Disability Policy,
04:52 this promotes the rights and inclusion
04:54 of people with disabilities.
04:56 But why is inclusion key?
04:58 Some of us are still held in shells
05:01 that we can't come out because of our disabilities,
05:04 thinking that maybe when I say I want to be a doctor,
05:08 I may not be accepted because of my disability.
05:10 They will look down on me.
05:11 They will say, how can you do that because you are like this?
05:15 But once you just give us that opportunity whereby
05:18 we are able to speak out, to do anything that we can do,
05:23 and any opportunity that comes my way,
05:25 so long as I'll be there to stand on my own in future.
05:30 With all that she's been able to achieve,
05:32 Gift Mlenga proves that with supportive, inclusive access
05:36 and opportunities, anything is possible.
05:39 (upbeat music)
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