Monrovia – Under a blazing sun in a traffic jam on 12th Street, Monrovia, Zoegar Railey, 45, relying on the support of his crutches, moves from cars to cars selling beverages to buyers.
Report by Mae Azango [email protected]
“I decided not to beg because begging cannot help me. I believe begging should not be used as a way of survival because it makes you lazy and always depend on handouts.”
The physically challenged man relies on his business to support his wife and family of six children.
“I decided not to beg because begging cannot help me,” he says. I believe begging should not be used as a way of survival because it makes you lazy and always depend on handouts.”
“Hey my boy, give me a bottle of cold energy drink and a bag of cold water,” shouted a taxi driver to Zoegar, while awaiting the traffic light to change.
He said he believes begging is not an option for him.
“If you must, then do business with the money you get, so that you can help yourself.”
“But if you keep begging day in, day out and do nothing with the money, people will get tired of helping you.”
Zoegar is just one of few exceptional physically challenged in Liberia who do business to survive, while many are seen begging on the streets in order to make ends meet.
He moved from Nimba to Monrovia to advance himself and seek greener pasture.
He is a handy man and does carpentry, tailoring, shoe making and tie and dye after he completed high school at Tubman High. But despite his many skills, he cannot find a job.
“I am an engineer and I also did tailoring, shoe making and tie and dye. But despite I am an engineer; I cannot get a job, because people overlook me and deny me because of my condition.”
“So I am selling to make ends meet instead of begging.”
“Since I graduated, I have been writing organizations and people for assistance to empower myself, but nobody has given me the opportunity.”
He rides his customized wheel chair that accommodates the chest in which he keeps his drinks and water cool for sale from Paynesville to 12th Street daily.
“I do not work for anyone but myself because I am a family man who has a wife and six children. I am now building a house for my family, through this business.
“But it is very difficult to ride this wheel, but every day I am forced ride and bring it here to sell and ride it in the evening I have to ride it back home.”
“It is not easy, but what to do, I have to help my family.”
Zoegar said he does not blame those who are begging on the street because of their condition, but those who always dole out money.
“Many of our disable people do not want to struggle, they want to get everything easy and there is no easy way to success.”
“I have registered to vote but I will not vote, because I am frustrated; the past leaders were not capable of taking care of we the disable community.”