Wheelchair Arrivals
August 2022
Thanks to your generosity, 4,548 wheelchairs arrived in Argentina, El Salvador, Eswatini, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, and Vietnam, with more en route to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and South Africa.
Our CEO in Brazil
August 3-15
Free Wheelchair Mission CEO Nuka Solomon (above; right) traveled to Brazil, where our local distribution partner, Rotary Club of Maringa-Parque do Inga, distributes wheelchairs to those in need throughout the country.
During this trip, Nuka took part in expeditions to deliver wheelchairs to people living with disabilities in remote, indigenous villages.
Volunteers Help Kids Transform Lives
August 15, 2022
Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church in Michigan fundraised for Free Wheelchair Mission during their summer VBS, with a goal of providing 20 wheelchairs.
The children’s ministry director, Lisa Adams, interviewed two volunteers who use wheelchairs and asked them what it is like to need a wheelchair, and what life would be like if they did not have a wheelchair.
Their stories inspired the kids to raise funds, the entire church got involved, and they ended up providing almost 50 new wheelchairs—more than double their original goal!
Workshop in Pakistan
August 22-24
Medical Programs Director Nicole VanderZouwen (above; left) and Regional Program Manager Tess Stansbury (above; right) led wheelchair provision training sessions in Pakistan, with our long-term distribution partner, the Al-Khidmat Foundation.
With catastrophic flooding hitting Pakistan over the past few months, our work there is more critical than ever: wheelchairs help those with mobility disabilities flee to higher ground without waiting to be carried.
Training in Ghana
August 23-25
In Ghana, Regional Programs Coordinators James Keitany and Ilse Caballeros led a three-day training session with our local distribution partner, the Centre for the Employment of Persons with Disabilities (CEPD).
Reports from Vietnam at Our HQ
August 25
Robert Kalatschan (above; right), the founder of Giving it Back to Kids (GIBTK), our distribution partner in Vietnam, paid a visit to our office, accompanied by GIBTK Vice President Tong Thi Thanh Tam (above; 3rd from right). They met with a group of Free Wheelchair Mission supporters and shared updates from Vietnam, which is one of the top five countries we have been distributing wheelchairs in.