To view a short DVD illustrating the wheel chairs, click here... WHEELCHAIR VIDEO

THE STORY OF AN ‘OFF-ROAD WHEEL CHAIR’

Hi there

Just thought you might be interested to hear my story – I think it’s a great tale, but then, for me it has certainly been exciting!

Some of my earliest memories are ‘old Bob’, in England, who bought me in order to help his wife who, at the time was suffering various disabilities, in addition to being old and frail. For a while I was able to help her every day to get around; then came the day she fell ill and was taken to hospital, sadly, she never came back home and I was left in the garage for a very long time. I wanted to go to another family, where I could perhaps be of help to someone else, but it didn’t work out…….no one seemed to need me or want me.

Finally I was sent (together with some other unwanted wheel chairs), in a box to a Child Care Centre in distant Kenya; very long journey, but it was worth it as I was immediately given a job to do, helping disabled Kenyan children within the Centre. It wasn’t long though, before I found I was struggling, the ground here is much rougher and sandy in places, with many stones everywhere. A matter of months later the rough treatment put me out of action. In my case, a wheel, plus part of the frame and back-rest just broke away, and I was relegated to a scrap area to join some others with similar – or worse failures. Now, if anything, I felt more discouraged than I had ever felt in my life! ‘This looks like it’s the end!’

Some time later, a man came along and took me to the workshop: he then started cutting off some parts and welding on some other bits and pieces – and that was not a nice experience! ‘What’s going on here?’ However, I soon began to realise that I was steadily becoming a New Person! I had larger, chunkier wheels and generally looked much more able for those rough, stony paths outside, plus, I now had hefty puncture-proof tyres, which seemed like a good step in the right direction, since in my brief life at the Centre I had suffered many punctures – there are thorns everywhere here! What a ‘conversion’ now I have in fact six wheels – yes SIX and they are really ready for action! The early tests out in ‘the rough’ soon proved the point; I personally was astonished to see that obstacles which would have brought me to an abrupt stop previously didn’t appear to phase anybody now – least of all me! ‘Wow, this is great!’ I feel as though I’m “Born Again”, a new person, with a whole new life! Well, now I’m thrilled to be able to cope with these arduous conditions and I am clearly able to help needy children in a whole new way! Just recently I overheard someone refer to me as “The Born Again Wheel chair”! Yep; that’s just about it. I would not wish for my old life again for anything – this is far more wonderful, I can just sense that I have a great future now!

Thank you for reading my story, although I bet you haven’t been as thrilled as I am with it – or for example, as thrilled as my new ‘family’, a cerebral palsy boy and his mum, living in real poverty in Masai land ……..my job is to help them get to the regular health clinics at the Church in the ‘local’ village; the lad previously had to be carried, dreadful! I think I can already see an improvement in the child’s health! Perhaps, just as exciting is the fact that next term his mum is hoping to enrol him in the local school, near to the Church, prior to this of course, education has been impossible for him!

I’m just so grateful to the very kind man who brought me through the transforming process, to make me into what I am now – a whole ‘new person’! I somehow believe that I too might yet prove to be really important to ‘my new family’, changing their lives – perhaps in some way, rather like my own life has been transformed.

Bless you

Willie Chaire

THE OFF-ROAD WHEEL CHAIRS
Colin’s earlier visit to the Child Care Centre was in order to introduce the Kenyan staff members to the ‘Off-road Wheel chair Project.” The project has moved forward very satisfactorily and he together with Moses and Daniel, were able to build one new ‘pushed chair’ and one new ‘self-propelled’ one. These machines are now completed and are currently being tried at the Centre and also in the villages, so as to assess their suitability and durability. The ‘Pushed Type’ are needed in order to help those children who (sadly) are not able to propel the chairs themselves. Each chair comprises mostly bicycle parts, with some steel tubing and plywood, finishing touches include plastic-covered foam rubber upholstery, the end product is quite comfortable and fairly easy to operate. The advantages become immediately apparent when the ground is sandy, soft or stony, where the conventional chair fails. Future plans include another visit and various modifications on the basic designs according to differing needs and a smaller machine more suited to the smaller children.

THE OFF-ROAD WHEEL CHAIR PROJECT

The most recent visits to the 2 Child Care Centres in Kenya, have resulted in considerable progress in the development of new Off-road Wheel chair models.
There are now 4 types which are being built. Each of these latest models starts out as a conventional wheel chair, which is then partially dismantled and rebuilt into the off-raod model required.
2 of the 4 models are intended to be self-propelled and the other 2 to be pushed. These are therefore able to cater for a wide variety of disability, and also a variety of terrain - from stony to sandy, etc.
Due to the many thorns found in the rural areas, we have developped one or 2 systems for making puncture-proof tyres. These are filled with cord or rope, instead of air.
A container has been sent from UK, with many redundant wheel chairs, used mountain bikes and other items, which will greatly facilitate the production of many more off-road wheel chairs in the future.
Daniel Sapayia and his 2 teams are very grateful to Christian friends in UK who have been giving to this project, allowing for the progress made thus far. And in the past few months, a growing number of Kenya's disabled children are being helped by these gifts and this project. They are discovering a whole new degree of mobility, previously thought impossible.

Judith Norbene Kasirimo.

I am Judith Norbene Kasirimo. I was born in the dry plains of Sajiloni, in a nomadic area mainly inhabited by the Maasai people of Kenya in the heart of maasailand. It is about 10 km from Kajiado town. My early years at home were not as good as I wanted as I was born up in an area where disability was regarded as a curse and shame for the family. I could not play nor socialize with my peers as a girl child is being valued in my tradition for several duties like collecting firewoods, fetching water, milking, taking care of livestock among many other duties. I felt isolated until the Lord opened a way for me to be brought to the Centre.

I got polio at the age of 2 years leading to my current condition, hence found myself at the AIC Kajiado Child Care Centre which is a rehabilitation Centre for children with disabilities. I spend my early childhood life here undergoing various corrective surgeries, treatment, rehabilitation and finally education. I was fitted with calliper on my right leg and crutches for my mobility. I started my education at the child care centre intergration Nursery School and later joined AIC Girls Primary School which is just near the Centre. After my primary education, I joined Enoomatasiani Secondary School for my secondary education for four year until I completed in 1998.

Professionally

I trained several courses such as Telephone operator, receptionist, guidance counsellor, computer science and Secretarial. I started working in Nairobi the capital city of Kenya for 3 years and in 2004 I got a job at AIC Kajiado child care centre where by am working as a secretary.

Spiritually.

I came to know the Lord here at the Centre at my early age through Sunday school, bible club and church service. I came to accept my disability, helped by the Bible verse, where Jesus explained that a man who was born blind was not because his parents sinned but because God had a purpose. Mine was about to be revealed as I have seen the faithfulness of the Lord throughout my life in several ways. First I come from a very needy background as my parents were illiterate and not working. Throughout my life I have been supported at the Centre for my treatment, appliances, education until I got a job through well wishers and friends of the centre.

My life at the Child Care Centre has been a big challenge for me. I have realized my full potential being able to work like the rest and being in a position to express and show the goodness of the Lord .I now know that my disability was surely a gift from God because it had a purpose. I no longer feel sorry for my disability. I feel Blessed! On reflection, I have no doubt in my mind, that had I not been disabled, I would have been where am am now. I could have been the jungle with hunger, diseases, poverty and worst of all, ignorance and not knowing the Lord. I like seeing children with disabilities being brought to the Centre by their parent. At times they hide them and feel very bad, but when I serve them in my nature their minds changes immediately. I like sharing my disability experience to many parents and the community at large.

You can share with me the goodness of the Lord. It is through the support of kind friends that has enabled me to be where I am now