There are an estimated 5 million children in countries from Africa, Asia, South and Central America and more who cannot attend school because of mobility handicaps.
Children in developing countries in these areas are often ostracized because of the stigma of being physically disabled in their communities or unable to afford wheelchairs and cannot attend school which often makes them feel isolated or excluded.
Thanks to “Wheelchairs of Hope”, a non-profit that is dedicated to providing children in developing countries with lightweight, reliable and child friendly wheelchairs. These wheelchairs have become more than instruments of mobility – they have become chariots of hope, helping these children to win battles and gain access not just to education but to friends and peers as well.
Changing the lives of children at the baylor International Hospital Swaziland
Light and colourful
This project was started in 2009 by Keter plastics executive, Pablo Kaplan and his partner, Chava Rotstein who were concerned about the plight of these children. “Our wheelchair is specifically designed for children, as we wish to empower education through mobility,” Kaplan and Rotshtein explain. “Mobility from early childhood is a gate to education. By giving access to education we create a new generation with better skills, confidence and hope.”
It is important that the children do not feel like they are in a medical device but rather that they have chairs that are light in weights and are available in bright, primary colours. The chairs weigh a maximum of 25 kilograms and cost roughly $150 a piece. Generous donors have helped make these colourful chariots more cost effective at just $50 per chair.
This project has been so successful that even UNICEF has shown an interest!
Some children have more serious physical needs that have to be accommodated such as severe spinal injuries that need extra support. Children living in rural areas with no proper tarred roads need the chair to be robust and tough to navigate some rather tough terrain without causing further discomfort.
Ambassador Arthur Lenk and happy children
Smiles across the miles
Wheelchair of Hope founder, Pablo Kaplan, recently traveled to the Southern tip of Africa to join Israeli Ambassador, Arthur Lenk in handing out chairs to deserving recipients both at the Nelson Mandela Hospital in South Africa and to children at the Baylor International Clinic in Swaziland.
The chairs are designed to focus on the needs of children and have lived up to the official vision of the organization which is to be a “lighthouse for children in need of mobility by empowering education and creating independence.”
Pablo Kaplan and happy recipients.
The Gift that keeps giving
Recipients of these wheelchairs are no longer isolated and ostracized but are rather happy and confident participants socially and in the classroom where they are ensured a bright future. This is an investment in both their health and careers. Wheelchairs of Hope endeavor to make these fabulous chairs available to millions of children around the world.
These colourful chariots created by the generous and visionary Pablo Kaplan and Chava Rotschtein are a gift that keeps on giving.
Wheelchairs of Hope have succeeded in helping to empower these young children to become the gladiators that they are.
Donating wheelchairs at the Nelson Mandela Hospital.
