Macumi lives with his mother and two siblings in Kabungo Village, Rwanda. They don’t have enough land to cultivate crops, but they do grow potatoes, beans, and other vegetables to eat day to day.
When Macumi was 12 years old, he developed disabilities after contracting an illness. With no mobility aids available to him, Macumi was left to crawl to get from place to place.
Disability-related issues forced Macumi to drop out of school. He now spends his days helping his mother, who serves as his main caregiver, by washing clothes, cleaning dishes, and preparing food to cook.
Food For The Hungry (FFTH), our local distribution partner, heard about Macumi and fitted him with a new GEN_2 model wheelchair, which his mother said will help him visit friends and go to church without crawling on the ground. Crawling not only affects his hygiene; it poses a risk of infection should dirt enter an open wound or scrape.
“I am very happy to receive this wheelchair,” said a beaming Macumi. “It was like a miracle because I did not expect to get one for many years. I consider it as my legs.”
With the newfound sense of freedom that mobility provides, Macumi and his mother can focus on growing the small business she started to earn some income for the family.
It has been said that disability can be both a cause and a consequence of poverty.
Thanks to the generosity of friends like you, the gift of mobility can help empower a family, like Macumi’s, to move toward a more hopeful future.
Blessings,
Don Schoendorfer
