PHOTO: Flomo Kollie busy in his workshop
By Onesimus Garway
The Liberian Society and the world over have over the years viewed Persons with Disabilities as totally dependent and a liability to society, who are supposed to survive on hand-outs and gestures from philanthropists and politicians.
But by acquiring marketable mechanical skills in Guinea, this 28-year-old Liberian, Flomo Kollie is one of those trying to gradually change this narrative. As a young man, he got trained in Guinea and later returned to his homeland, utilizing such skills. Today, in the port city of Buchanan, some 93 miles from Monrovia, he serve as the source of sustainable livelihoods not only for himself but other determined able-bodied youths in this area.
Flomo, a man basically helped by his specially designed motorcycle to easily commute, is operating a workshop to repair generators and other electrical equipment at the port city of Buchanan. It bears the Service name “Man Makes Man Serious,” a project that led him to train and provide jobs for more than 15 Liberians, he tells this Reporter.
Unlike some people living with disabilities in Liberia, the youthful mechanic and electrician works daily with confidence. And his physical disability has in no way serve as a hindrance to his forward march.
Not even the claim that his disability was due to being bewitched by his Uncle while still a Child, had killed his zeal to measure up in society. Such condition did not hinder his quest for technical and mechanical skills a process that took him eight years to accomplish.
A 2019 research done by the World Bank and an Institution called “Once Foundation” revealed that barriers to socioeconomic inclusion of persons with disabilities include inaccessible physical environments and transportation, the unavailability of critically needed devices and, non-adapted means of Communication, gaps in service delivery and prejudice and stigma in the Liberian Society.
“I was thinking far and could not sit to allow myself beg anyone; that’s why I suffered to learn this mechanic work,” Flomo Kollie explains, adding that the decision has earned him a Job as Senior Mechanic and is now helping him to care for his Wife, three Children, and younger brother.
When asked about receiving aid from any individual or institution, the head of “Man-Makes-Man Serious” workshop said, he has not recorded such and added that “In fact when people are sharing rice or anything, I don’t go there for some.”
Both Flomo Kollie and Jerry Laffa stressed the need for the Liberian Government to prioritize the creation of accessible environment in academic area in respect to the Liberian Constitution and the UN Convention Article 24; thus recommending empowerment for Persons with Disabilities through Skill training and business initiatives through financial assistance.
Publication of this article was made possible with support from Internews Liberia Inclusive Media Project.