Esther Mukupa

My name is Esther Mukupa, i was born on 22nd November 1986. I am the second born of the family of 8, two boys and 6 girls. My parents stay in Kasama, both are head teachers at different schools. I never grew up with my parents because when i was two years my grandparents decided to keep me for my health was not ok most of the time i was sick so it was affecting my parents career.

I started school in 1993 and i completedin 2004. I came to Macha with the Sakala family from Boswana for the Mics school by that time mics was just starting and i was not yet in school so i was helping at home with the children.

I always wanted to be a Doctor because that’s the only way i thought i could help the sick. However i did not qualify the requirements to be enrolled at the school of medicine. So my parents advised that i do Business Administration. In 2006 i was accepted at NIPA in Lusaka and i studded BA without interest but just to please my parents.

Later on when Dorien Visser my friend from Holand was going back i went to Macha to say bye and thats when she told me about the playroom because she knew i have interest in children. I went back to Lusaka and made a decision to work in the playroom with sick children instead because that’s something i love to do.

i choose to work in the playroom because i want to live a fulfilled life, a life of helping the sick be it physical , emotional or mentally. I love children and i believe they are the future. The existence of the playroom has contributed positively to the wellbeing of the children in the hospital, it’s a divisional therapy.Children are Children whether sick or not and they develop a lot through playing, while in the hospital and in pain playing in the playroom keep them busyand helps them to exercise physically as well as mentally. its also an outing for the parents, they are learning a lot such as safety rules, hygiene, nutritional ideas. For the school going children we continue with their school work such that they don't miss a lot while in the hospital.

We have children who come from the ward to the playroom to play, some small children who after being sick for a long time delay walking so they come for therapy in the playroom. There are children with cerebral palsy who come for therapy on appointments, we work hand in hand with the physio therapist who suggests activities to be done on them. I love working with children as well as parents ,i fell iam helping the sick just as i wanted. I want to study more on phyco socia and therapy so that i can be more effective. Having a baby has made me to treasure children more than i did because i felt what every mother feel and all children are special. i want all parents to protect them from any harm be physical or mentally.