A Story from Peru

Zaid is a six-year-old boy who lives with his parents and three brothers in provincial Peru.

When Zaid was 10 months old, he suffered a stomach infection that spurred an illness that doctors could not diagnose.

Meanwhile, this motor disease progressively weakened his muscles and Zaid eventually lost mobility.

Every morning, Zaid’s two older brothers would help him get ready for school, where his favorite subject is reading. “Reading lets me imagine different worlds that I couldn’t live in,” he told our team.

His loving mother, who takes care of the family, would bring him to his physical therapy sessions twice a week. She would often have to carry him at least part of the way because they could not afford to buy him a wheelchair.

Zaid’s father earns just enough to cover the family’s basic needs by working as a motorcycle taxi driver.

Zaid‘s father carries him from the motorcycle taxi that he drives for a living.

When the family heard that our local distribution partner, Camino de Vida, would be bringing wheelchairs to the nearest city, they wasted no time filling out an application for Zaid.

Once it was determined that one of our wheelchairs would be suitable for Zaid, his application was approved and he received a brand-new GEN_2 wheelchair.

Zaid couldn’t believe it! He never had a wheelchair before and never thought he’d ever get one. He was beyond happy to receive this gift. “Thank you, God,” rejoiced his parents, “and thank you, Free Wheelchair Mission, for giving this gift to our son.”

Zaid and his mother eagerly await a new wheelchair.

It is only with the prayers and generous support of friends like you that stories like this are happening all around the world, every day.

Did you know that through our network of partners, we distribute an average of 178 wheelchairs every day, totaling 1.3 million wheelchairs over the past 20 years?

As far as we have come, there is still much work to be done. Worldwide, an estimated 75 million people need wheelchairs and are still waiting for one.

Together, we can make a difference. Would you consider giving someone the gift of mobility today?