Life change in Chad for disabled children

More than a hundred physically disabled children and young people in Chad have had their lives changed forever with the gift of wheelchairs and crutches to make them mobile.

 

Thanks to the UNHCR 9 Million Project - which aims to help those who are less able to get to school-the young refugees in Treguine and Bredjing camps were assessed by a doctor, with the aids made locally and funded by a US church & charity consortium .

The chairs are highly adaptable to fit the individual child; the front wheel can be removed to allow the chair to be pulled along if he/she is unable to wheel it for themselves. The solid wheels do not need air - won't be affected by thorns and rocks, and because they are fatter, they are easier to get through sand.

The crutches also have a wider base to cope with the sand, and for the very small children, so our logistician found a hacksaw and Neil Donohue, head of the Chad programme, and his team was able to shorten the crutches to fit.

Cord was also able to distribute 5 wheelchairs and 4 crutches in the nearby village, helping improve relationships with the Chadians, who see funding available for the refugees and so little for the local communities - where the needs are very great .

'It was extremely moving to see people's lives changed so radically with what we would take for granted,' said Anne Goddard, Cord's Education Manager.

 

'Parents and grandparents carefully lifted their children into the chairs and many of them were close to tears with the emotion of it all. One boy sat and cried as he waited to be lifted in. Many have problems in addition to their legs being crippled and you might think that they'd be unable to use the pedals. However, with faces grim with determination they reached for the handles, and even with only one strong arm, they soon learnt to push with the weaker arm. '

'They need practice , but with help from the family and encouragement from the schools, there will be some children and young people who will feel like their lives have been turned upside-down for the better,' she added.