PHOTO: John Mulbah (in pink T-shirt) in conversation with the Press
By Joseph Titus Yekeryan
He wallowed in hopelessness initially. But John Mulbah, a resident of Gbarnga, did not give up in life, despite being visually impaired.
He instead geared up after going blind about 15 years ago, in order to face the challenge of the new community of the blind he transited to. Despite his visual impairment, the challenged man was has been an acclaimed help to many people in his Cotton Tree Community and its surrounding.
As part of efforts to live up to his responsibility as father of several, John has been engaging in sand mining through which he pays tuition for his three Children and cater for his fiancée Patience Kollie, also a disabled person, and his children.
“My eyes used to pain me for several months, and I used to apply herbs to find cure but to no avail. This led me to start visiting the hospital but when I visited the hospital that year, the doctor told me that I had cataract on my eyes,” John tells this Reporter.
“One month after I started to clean them, that’s how I went blind,” he says, adding that that his efforts to remove the cataract from his eyes resulted into complete visual disability.
Since his unexpected blindness, he has however been a help to many people in his community, including some of those who are far from his Community through his sand mining business he started.
His new career attracted since his visual impairment has been on help to people who are engaged in building construction. John often helps to supply constructors by giving them sand on credit, when they are in need and don’t readily have cash on hand. He thereafter collects his money later, he says.
Before the sand mining business, John started selling petroleum selling, which he is still involved in in the Cotton Tree Community. He engages into the sale gasoline and other petroleum products and is currently the only person doing such a business in the Cotton Tree, Zone 5 Community.’
Like he has been doing in his sand-mining enterprise, he also give gasoline and fuel to motorists on credit. He sometimes gives gas to motorcyclists and collects his money thereafter, describing the decision as the best because a lot of people regard him for that.
“No business you can make without credit, and looking at the location of my business, it is a community thing so I just have to do these things,” this enterprising visually impaired young man says.
The services John is providing to the community is big, as people seeking products even get served at night, at which time he instructs his son to quickly measure the gasoline or fuel without any complaint.
He says despite his condition, he feels pleased to offer such services to the community dwellers. “Sometimes people say that I am making business but the truth is, this is not just about the business, it is about rendering services,” he explains looking visibly pleased.
“If I were not here in this part of the community selling gas, people would find it extremely difficult, especially for those who can sometimes be constrained wanting to go somewhere and lack gasoline or fuel for their vehicles during night hours,” he says.
The industriousness of this visually impaired has prompted individuals and group to participate various forum to decision-making in the area. “I am happy that my business is making impact; on several occasions, people have praised me for being focused and an asset to the community,” he says.
John has expressed his belief that it is because it of his services to the community that people usually engage him into decision making. “It is not about my condition, it is because they have seen something in me as a Community member and that’s why I always tell my Children to follow my footsteps,” he explains.
According to him, even though the business is not big, he is working hard to expand it with the support of the customers.
On his thought between the sand mining and the gasoline business, he said, “I think I am doing better because I am no longer suffering myself to submerge myself into the river to mine sand, he noted, and concluded, “Yes, the profit is little but the gasoline business is much easier to make that the sand mining enterprise.”
Alfred Tokpa, a motorcyclist in the area has confirmed John’s immense assistance to the community. “I like John not only because he is selling gas, but because I was once helped by this visually impaired man at my time of need.”
Alfred explained that his little sister was sick few weeks ago and he had to take her to the clinic at 2AM.
“When I realized that there was no gas, I hurriedly ran to John to help me and he did. I think we all need to promote John’s little business because he is really helping us here,” Alfred adds. This Report was made possible with support from Internews Liberia Inclusive Media Project.