November 11, 2009 – For those of us who are able to move around easily, it is difficult to imagine what a challenge it is for people who have lost the use of their legs. Properly fitted wheelchairs or crutches can make a world of difference, allowing an adult to leave the house and earn a living, and allowing a child to play with friends. But wheelchairs are expensive, particularly for families who are struggling to just put food on the table. IRD, in partnership with several other organizations, is helping families like these around the world get the mobility equipment they need.

Iraq
In conflict areas, medical supplies are in high demand. IRD has been quick to respond to the needs of thousands affected by the Iraq war, by providing 2,398 wheelchairs, valued at more than $2 million. Through the local community groups IRD works with in Iraq, wheelchairs and other medical supplies are given to shelters, orphanages, schools, and hospitals across the country.

Philippines
In the Philippines, many children and adults living with cerebral palsy and other debilitating diseases are often abandoned by their families. Families in remote areas lack the information on how to care for a physically or mentally disabled child and are unable to bear the financial burden.

Therefore many of these families have no other alternative than to place their children in shelters like the Elsie Gaches Village. Located south of Manila in Muntinlupa, this shelter is the largest one of its kind in the country, providing care and housing for approximately 650 physically and mentally challenged residents.

The Brother’s Brother Organization and IRD donated wheelchairs and medical supplies, such as crutches, canes, medical books, and walkers to the Elsie Gaches Village shelter and also to a new Maternity and Children’s Hospital Center in Marawi on Mindanao, an area with over 200,000 residents that previously had no health facility.

Chad
Over the past two years, Hope Haven International Ministries and IRD have sent two shipments to Chad totaling over $150,000 worth of wheelchairs and walking aids. The shipment in 2009 included 205 PET vehicles (heavy duty wheelchairs built for rugged terrain), which were distributed equally between Darfur refugees and Chadians.

Laos
In Laos, IRD provided wheelchairs to 195 people with disabilities who were unable to purchase their own. This donation was made by Hope Haven, who also provided 290 pieces of wheelchair accessories/parts, walking aids, and patient rehab equipment totaling approximately $85,000.

The donation also included KidKart strollers, colorful wheelchairs that allow children to buckle in, and have a hand-crank mechanism to move the chair. For many children suffering from landmine injuries or diseases that prevent leg motion, these wheelchairs can mean the difference between immobility and the freedom to move.

Vietnam
According to the Vietnamese government there are over 1 million disabled in Vietnam. Hope Haven and IRD have sent three shipments of wheelchairs, walking aids and rehabilitation equipment. In 2009, Vietnam received two shipments, each worth $111,080 and including 485 different pieces of medical equipment, of which 20 are PET Vehicles.

Armenia
Wheelchairs were also donated by Latter-Day Saints’ Charities (LDSC), with whom IRD is working on the U.S. State Department-funded Distribution of Essential Pharmaceutical Commodities project in Armenia. The project pays for the transportation and delivery of not only pharmaceuticals but also non-medical commodities, such as wheelchairs.

After the wheelchairs arrived, the IRD medical director began the difficult task of assessing the needs of each applicant by reviewing all of the medical and social documents and certificates. Only then could distribution schedules be developed.

In all, 250 wheelchairs were distributed to the organizations and facilities across the country who needed them most. Representatives from LDSC, as well as IRD staff members, were able to witness the presentations of some of the wheelchairs, and see the joy that this gift brought.