( CNN ) -- Her powerful voice resonates through the music hall , delivering an unlikely message of hope . All eight Liyana band members met at the King George VI school for disabled children in Bulawayo , Zimbabwe . The Afro-fusion melody comes from an unlikely source -- the small , wheelchair-ridden body of Prudence Mabhena , a woman from Zimbabwe who has overcome her physical disabilities and the hurdles of daily life in her home country . `` Some people do n't even get you and take you as a person , '' Mabhena said . `` And with us singing right now , we 're not giving up -- we 're pushing up . '' Mabhena is the lead singer of Liyana , a group of eight musicians who are all physically disabled and from Zimbabwe . Their message of hope has been drowned out in their home country , which is suffering from an economic collapse , a cholera outbreak , and a political power struggle that has erupted into violence . Watch the band performing » . Mabhena was born with arthrogryphosis , a muscle and joint disorder , and had to have parts of her arms and legs amputated as a result . She said her mother was told to kill her rather than have her face life as a physically disabled woman in Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe was once a center for disability rights after it gained independence in 1980 , according to recent report on Public Radio International . It was one of the first countries to recognize the rights of the disabled , who are sometimes shunned by communities in rural Africa who fear they are touched by witchcraft . But the gains for the disabled in Zimbabwe have been erased by the country 's current crisis , according to Dr. Raymond Lang of the London-based Cheshire Center for Conflict Recovery who spoke to PRI 's Lonny Shavelson . Mabhena said the group is apprehensive about returning to Zimbabwe after its U.S. tour , which wrapped up this month . But none of the members of Liyana dwell on the despair . `` 'Never give up ' -- it 's one of our biggest and strongest mottos , '' said singer Tapiwa Nyenger , explaining one of the band 's song titles . `` We have the capability to go on stage and at the end of the day make people smile . It 's a good feeling . '' All eight band members , who are between the ages of 17 and 23 , met at the King George VI school for disabled children in Bulawayo , Zimbabwe . The band describes their music as a fusion between `` myriad geographic , cultural , and musical genres including gospel , reggae , and traditional Zimbabwean Shona music . '' Liyana means `` rain '' -- a Shona term for good luck . `` Music makes you think of something positive , '' Nyenger said . `` For me , music is rehabilitation . '' Mabhena has said her voice is a gift from god . They had long dreamed of performing in the United States , and their multi-city tour included more than 20 performances in California and the New York metro area , including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark . `` We have been received in an overwhelming , heart-filling way , '' Nyenger said . `` Everywhere we go , every place we go , we [ see ] new things , we meet new people , we learn new stuff . '' The band 's U.S. tour coincided with President Barack Obama 's inauguration , which has also been a source of inspiration for a new song , `` Obama . '' `` When we heard Obama was going to be the American president , the first black American president , we were so excited , '' Mabhena said . `` Through that joy that we had , there came a song . '' Liyana is also the subject of a new documentary , iTemba -- My Hope -- which is scheduled to be released worldwide later this year . The band 's singers perform in seven languages -- Shona , Ndebele , English , Dutch , German , Hebrew , and Spanish -- allowing them to reach a wider audience . `` We want to leave a message to everyone in the world that no matter what circumstance you are in , you can make it , '' singer Marvelous Meulo said .
Liyana are a group of eight physically disabled musicians from Zimbabwe . Their multi-city tour of the U.S. has included more than 20 performances . Hide Caption Their message of hope has been drowned out in Zimbabwe , which is in crisis .