Maria is a single parent of two children. Since she cannot move far from her home, she supplements her income by acting as a day mother, and takes care of her neighbours' children while their parents are at work or visiting relatives in the countryside.
Maria's new hair salon was officially handed over to her at a ceremony at the beginning of August 2005, during which donations of hair products, clothing, and toys were presented. Maria also received a wheelchair, cooking pots, and blankets. Even though the wheelchair cannot be used beyond the immediate environs of her house, because of the sandy terrain, it has given her a newfound mobility which has added immeasurably to the quality of her life. The radiant smile of joy and gratitude on her face will long be remembered by those who witnessed it. Her happiness, reflected in the faces of all who had the good fortune to share her joy and understand its significance, bears eloquent testimony to the strength, fortitude, and generosity of the human spirit.
To show her appreciation, Maria reciprocated with an age-old Shangaan tradition. As a token of her gratitude, she gave two of her most valued possessions - a white goat (a token of serenity) and a chicken (a tenth of her wealth) - to the people who helped her. She prepared the meat herself, as is the custom, and, together with her donors, enjoyed a fine celebration in true Shangaan style.
While driving through the beautiful, seemingly boundless African countryside, a place of ancient baobab trees and cerulean sky, on the way to the peaceful coastal village of Vilanculos, it is hard to imagine that only a few years ago a young woman named Maria was lying in a lonely field, grievously injured by an indiscriminate landmine. It is worth remembering that the town of Vilanculos and its outskirts is still a mine-infested area, cruelly burdened with the subterranean menace of undiscovered landmines. The town waits for a sustained and effective de-mining operation which will prevent innocent people from losing a limb or losing their lives while they plough their lands and cultivate their crops. In the brutal lottery of war and its aftermath, it is only a matter of time and chance before the next landmine maims, or kills, another human being.
Visitors to Maria's new hair salon will find a serene and optimistic Maria, a young woman of great dignity and courage, at ease in her surroundings and determined to live her life to the full.
Maria Zefanias Gulele is no longer a statistic. She is a symbol of hope for landmine victims all over the world.
