Victor Zinda was born without any disability as the firstborn in a family of ten children. His early life was normal until he fell seriously ill as a baby. Around the age of one, he was infected with measles, and while still recovering, he contracted polio. Zinda was born in 1968, at a time when his parents lived in exile in Uganda. ALSO READ: World Polio Day: Why Rwanda still vaccinates despite being polio-free His parents only discovered it later, after both traditional and medical treatments had failed. By the time he was five or six years old, he was completely crippled. An operation was done in hopes that he would regain movement and walk with crutches, but it was unsuccessful. His legs contracted again, and he went back to crawling. From then on, he moved using his hands, without sandals or shoes. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s new polio vaccination campaign targets 2.7 million children “During the rainy season, I crawled through mud. When it was sunny, the soil burned my hands,” he said. Community attitudes made things harder. Some doubted he would survive childhood. Others advised his parents to prepare him for begging. Few believed in his potential, but his father was determined to send him to school. About ten years old, when a school opened nearby offering only Primary One and Two, Zinda began crawling the 30 to 60-minute journey each day. “I would arrive sweating, rest a bit, then join the class, and coming back was the same.” He noted that the school experience was mixed as fellow students often laughed at him or bullied him, while some sympathized. Teachers noticed his intelligence, and over time, classmates began to seek his help. “I was smart in class, and that helped me gain friends. I could write well, and others asked me to help them,” he said. He credits his academic performance and the strong support from his parents and siblings for keeping him in school despite the challenges. Zinda completed his O-Level studies at St. Maria Goretti Senior Secondary School in Katende, then went to Makerere High School for A-Level. He later joined Nkumba College School, where he completed an advanced diploma in accounting. In 1994, shortly after the Genocide against the Tutsi ended in Rwanda, he returned with his family. “We came two months after the new government was sworn in,” he said. Despite his education, he faced repeated job rejection, often because of his disability, noting that some would say, ‘You can’t manage, our office has stairs,’ and others just ignored him. After some years, he enrolled at Kigali Institute of Education, now the University of Rwanda, where he studied business administration from 2007 to 2011. Since graduating, he has worked at Faith Victorious Association, a local non profit that supports communities in fighting poverty, improving health, protecting the environment, and promoting the rights of women and children. He has now served there for 14 years as Head of Administration and Human Resources. Zinda also faced rejection in his search for love, mostly because of his disability. His shy proposals, meant to reassure, often made things more difficult. In 2006, a pastor who was also disabled gave him a wheelchair and shared his own story, encouraging him to stay hopeful and not to give up, saying that losing faith wasn’t what God wanted. Encouraged by the pastor’s words, Zinda changed how he approached relationships. In 2007, he met the woman who eventually became his wife. They married in 2008 and now have four children. Over the years, he was often invited to share his testimony at churches and community events, about how he got married, completed university, and became a community leader. These experiences inspired him to write a book about his life titled, “The tested life of unceasing hope.” “I wanted people going through challenges like disability, unemployment, sickness, or depression to know they are not alone. I also went through depression and even considered suicide, but I thank God I didn’t.” Zinda raises awareness about polio and disability rights. He encourages parents to vaccinate their children and urges communities not to mistreat people with disabilities, noting that even if it’s not polio, a child with a disability should be supported, not hidden or abused. Rotary Club Rwanda, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, organized the annual Rotary Walk against Polio 2025 on Sunday, October 19, during Car-Free Day in Kigali. The event aims to raise awareness about polio eradication. According to Dr Alexis Muderevu, Chairperson of the Rotary Polio Plus Programme in Rwanda, the walk will start at BK Arena and proceed to Kigali Convention Center, and shows the collective effort to eliminate polio. This event is part of the observance of World Polio Day on October 24. During a media briefing on October 17 at the Kigali Public Library in Kacyiru, Dr. Muderevu said the polio virus spreads mainly due to poor hygiene. Once it enters the body, he explained, it affects the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis. He listed some of the symptoms, including fever and headaches, and noted that there is no medication to cure the disease. He added that while polio can be prevented through vaccination, it is also important to raise awareness about hygiene and sanitation. “Polio is an infectious disease that mostly affects children under five. It spreads through contaminated food and water, particularly in places with poor sanitation and low immunisation coverage.” Polio once caused widespread disability in Rwanda, but the introduction of the Oral Polio Vaccine in the 1980s and strong national immunization campaigns led to the last wild poliovirus case in 1993, said Rotarian Alefe Meresa, polio data expert. He added that Rwanda was certified polio-free in 2004 and has since maintained over 95% vaccination coverage. In 2023, the country vaccinated 2.7 million children under seven in response to regional outbreaks. Julie Mutoni, Vice President of the Rotary Club Kigali Golf, noted that if Rwanda lets its guard down, polio could return. She said they are working with the Ministry of Health and partners to keep awareness high and efforts ongoing. In Rwanda, every baby gets vaccinated against polio as part of the national immunization programme, and the country keeps a close watch through consistent surveillance to detect and stop any cases early.
