Living with kidney disease is not only emotionally and physically draining but the lack of employment opportunities that follow it are equally devastating, says chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient, Patricia Mogapi.

CKD occurs when the kidneys fail to filter waste as they typically do in a healthy body. Often, due to their condition, many people living with kidney disease work reduced hours or are unable to work at all.

An prospective corporate career ended before it even began for the Business Administration Management graduate from the University of Botswana when her kidneys stopped functioning in 2016, a year before her graduation. Since then, she has been on dialysis, a machine that pumps blood through a specialised filter to remove toxins from her body, thrice a week for hours at a time without a miss. “Dialysis is not just physically draining but an expensive process, from transport costs, diet and the overall lifestyle changes that come with it. “And making money is a big factor in our condition, so yes the question of financial security certainly worries me,” the mother of one said. While acknowledging that unemployment is high and affecting a lot of people especially young people, Mogapi says it is even more difficult for people with her condition. “You would go through interviews and most times everything is fine until the time they know about your condition and what comes with it including the many hours you would have to miss while on dialysis. “Some people can also be so ignorant and insensitive telling us not to be choosy with jobs. But there are literally a lot of jobs we are unable to do.” Mogapi who has had a short stint as an intern, relies on selling anything and everything that can help put food on the table including clothes, madila, vegetables and fruits. According to her, the inadequate income, complexity of the disease and no outlet for redress of personal problems adds to the emotional stress. With such a challenging disease, she says government and society have to first recognise the difficulties faced by kidney patients, who she notes are among the poorest and most vulnerable in society, and find ways to improve their lives. She says one of the ways is for government to amend the Disability Act, which does not recognise them. “We want the government to protect us and be considered like persons living with disabilities. We are excluded in many spheres of life with employment being at the centre of it. “We don’t want handouts. We want to work but in conducive environments that recognise our needs and limitations,” she said.