UNBOXING CAREGIVING IN AFRICA
Transforming Caregiving in Africa: One Woman's Mission to Bridge Western Knowledge with African Community Values
My name is Roseline Afolabi, Executive Director of RoseHope Foundation, also known as “The Caregivers of Nigeria.”
This is the story of how global transformation is reshaping the way communities respond to progressive innovations and emerging trends in caregiving across Africa.
Many Africans today still believe strongly in community living, which naturally encourages family members to care for one another when needed. This includes caregiving for individuals with disabilities of all kinds and at every stage of life — from birth to old age.
This includes:
- Children born with disabilities
- Disabilities resulting from life events or accidents
- Age-related disabilities and health conditions
The focus of this article is Nigeria in West Africa.
I grew up in Nigeria during a time when caregiving was almost entirely the responsibility of family members because the government did not recognize disabilities as a social or governmental responsibility. Instead, disability was often viewed as a taboo, with some families believing that disability was caused by a curse placed upon an individual or family.
I personally participated in caring for my grandparents and parents before they passed away, while also occasionally assisting extended family members and friends who needed ongoing caregiving support.
My journey from Africa to Europe and eventually to America exposed me to a very different approach to caregiving, as well as the opportunities and support systems available to individuals with disabilities and their families.
It was then that I discovered that being born differently, or becoming disabled later in life, is not a curse or punishment. It is a natural human experience that can happen to anyone.
With a strong desire to better understand how caregiving in the Western world differs from caregiving in Africa, I decided to pursue caregiving as a career. Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in both paid and unpaid caregiving for people of different age groups and in a variety of care settings.
Now, I am bringing this valuable awareness and modern caregiving knowledge back to Africa, beginning with Nigeria.
The journey has already started through the registration of RoseHope Foundation with the appropriate authorities in Nigeria.
We have constructed a school for children ages 5 to 17 who are on the autism spectrum, as well as a home healthcare agency that provides care for individuals with permanent or temporary disabilities within the comfort of their own homes.
