Nothing is stopping “lawyer” Isabella

By BOURA GORUKILA
ISABELLA Kila, 24, is a person with special needs.
She is from Gobakigolo and Tauruba in Rigo, Central.
She is the third eldest in a family of five – three boys and two girls. Dad Benjamin Kila is an information technology expert and works for a bank. Mum Judith Kila left her job to look after Isabella when she enrolled at the University of PNG four years ago.
Mum and daughter have been living on campus for the past four years. Dad and her other siblings live at Gerehu.
Isabella was acknowledged by Cheshire general manager Benard Ayieko during the World Children’s Day celebrations at the resource center in Port Moresby.
Isabella is a board member. She is also a member of the young voices programme with the Cheshire Home.
She is a role model and motivator to young people with special needs.
She spent four years at Cheshire from 2001 to 2004.
She underwent mentoring and prepared herself to join mainstream schools.
From 2005 t0 2011, she did grades two to eight at the Philip Aravure elementary and primary schools.
She continued into grades nine and ten at St Charles Lwanga High School in 2012 and 2013. She did grades 11 and 12 at Gerehu Secondary School from 2014 to 2015.
She was selected to do a Bachelor’s degree in law in 2016. She has just finished her exams and is awaiting graduation next April.
Isabella wants to become a human rights lawyer.
Her school fees were paid by the RH Foundation.
“They saw my article in the newspaper when I was in Grade 12 and had an interest in sponsoring me for the four years.
Every year they write cheques to the institution. They have done that for the last four years and I’m so grateful for their support.
“Basically I would like to say thank you to my parents for realising that I have equal right and equal opportunity and making their time available to make sure that I achieve what I dream about and achieve my goals.
“To the main sponsor RH Foundation, I thank them so much for their support in the last four years.
We all know that the fees are very high unlike primary and secondary school where there is free education.
But thank you once again RH Foundation for willingly sponsoring me for the four years of my tertiary education.”
She also thanks the board members of Cheshire Disability Services for their great work, center-based education programmes and appointing her as a board member.
“Me being included as a board member is to help them know actually what those of us with disabilities are doing in this institution.”
She said every child has a right to everything.
“Whether able or like those of us with special needs. We all have an equal right to be educated, loved, and cared for.
Sometimes children with special needs are deprived of their rights by those who take care of them, their relatives, families and friends. So I want them to realise and understand their rights as they are human beings too.”