Wheelchairs and Disability Aids
Charles is an old friend whom we first met in 2007. He is now in his 20’s and earning a living by making rope. Charles suffers from Cerebral Palsy and is mute, but he can hear. He enjoys the mobility that his wheelchair, funded by Global Challenge, gives him.
Charles on his trike
Global Challenge supporters have provided a range of equipment for children with mobility difficulties – including wheelchairs and ‘trikes’ specially made to cope with the local terrain. They are sturdily made where possible by local craftsmen so that the local economy benefits. Recipients find that having a chair is a life changing experience.
When the Trustees visited in 2012, they realised the wheelchair maintenance was a problem. Some families understandably were more concerned about fixing their own bikes rather than the wheelchairs of their disabled children as they needed their bikes to get to market and sell their crops. The charity reviewed the feasibility of paying for a mechanic to visit homes in the outlying villages and to fix the wheelchairs and trikes on the spot, so in 2013 Global Challenge were able to fund a ‘repair programme’ for wheelchairs.
In 2014 a specialist ‘buggy’ was donated to Global Challenge (normally costing around £1,000) for Mark, a young teenage with Cerebral Palsy. This is to enable his mum to transport him in areas, such as the hospital, which are too narrow for a wheelchair. It will be taken out to Uganda at the first opportunity!
