Nigerian polio survivor helping victims of Boko Haram

There are no statistics on how many disabled people are currently living in Nigeria. Many are trapped at home, unable to go farther than they can crawl. Ayuba Gufwan, a polio survivor, knows this from experience. That’s why he’s dedicated his life to bringing mobility devices—like wheelchairs, crutches and prosthetic legs— to help disabled people. In the past few years, he’s helped rising numbers of people disfigured by attacks by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

Ayuba Gufwan contracted polio when he was a child and lost the use of both of his legs. As a child and a teenager, he was trapped—only able to go as far as he could scoot on his bottom. What angered him most was being unable to attend school, which he knew would be his key to a better life.

When Ayuba was 19, his uncle gave him a wheelchair and, with it, the gift of mobility. There was no stopping Ayuba once he had his wheels: he began wheelchairing 14 kilometres a day to and from school. He went on to teaching college then earned a law degree. As an adult, he has become an outspoken advocate for polio vaccination campaigns.

But as much as he has wanted to stop polio, he also saw a need to help those already disfigured by the disease. In the city of Jos, he founded Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Center, which is primarily funded through small donations, to help the tens of thousands of disabled Nigerians.