Driving in the streets of cosmopolitan Douala is not a bed of roses for this group of road users.
From Mondays to Fridays, thousands hit the road from different parts of Douala towards Bonanjo, the administrative heartbeat of the economic capital, to gain their offices or business services. Conspicuous among them is Vincent Tiogo.
Today, dressed in a pair of black suit, white shirt, a blue tie and polished black shoes, the 45-year-old steadily rides from his Bepanda residence to Bonanjo where he serves as a civil servant. But the difference between the native from the West Region and other road users is his means of movement.
Up to the age of two, Vincent Tiogo could run, jump and play just like other children. However, he was hit by poliomyelitis shortly after, which has kept him glued to a wheelchair till today. About six months ago, the National President of the Association of Dynamic Handicapped Persons in Cameroon, ASPHADYCAM, bought a brand new motorised tricycle. But this is far from completely solving his teething displacement troubles.
Did you know every cripple needs up to three different sets simultaneously in order to move independently? They include a wheelchair, a manual tricycle and a motorised tricycle. A wheelchair enables a cripple to move around the house without necessitating help from others. In order to move along the streets or on short distances, a manual tricycle becomes necessary, though requiring the user's physical strength to ride and control it. However, in the face of a hill, pot-holes or earth roads, movement becomes strenuous since the wheels are not adapted to such terrains. It is common to see most tricycle riders holding other vehicles or beseeching passers-by to push them over a certain distance.
The motorised tricycle solves the problem of travelling on long distances or transporting their luggage from one place to the other, but sold at cut-throat prices. Alain Mouanjo recalls his experience: "In a traffic jam, only drivers of good faith let us into the queue. We are entitled to same Highway Code and space like other drivers. I succeeded in saving enough money to buy a motorised tricycle which attracts more respect from other road users." The holder of a category "A" driving licence and over 300 peers are regrouped under the canopy of ASPHADYCAM. This is to transcend their common challenge given that in every disability, there is ability!
