Wheelchair Opens Prospects of Mobility, Education and Inclusion
Photo by David Snyder/CRS
Identifying a community’s vulnerable children and providing services that open doors to a fuller more productive life is, with 4Children, a vital but in a sense short-term goal. Strengthening a community’s capacity to continue to serve its children, their caregivers and families means sustained support long after the project’s end.
Still, it is extremely encouraging to hear stories like Felix’s. Here is a young boy facing challenges that seemed insurmountable. The immediate assistance he received opened a door to continuing education and a better future.
Felix is able to regularly attend school and comfortably do his school work.
During the identification and enrollment of the beneficiaries for 4Children Malawi project, several criteria were used including households in which one or more members is living with a disability. Full assessment was conducted to identify the specific needs of the individual beneficiaries in the Initial Child Assessment Chart.
4Children’s focus on building local institutional capacity to serve communities bears tangible results when specific needs are met, as with Felix’s improved access to education. Photo by David Snyder/CRS
Felix* is a 14-year-old boy living in Chitukalu. His parents have HIV and he faces daily challenges from his physical disability.
While he attends Mkukula primary school, Felix often missed classes because of his mobility problems. Violet Mdala, a 4Children project caseworker from Lumbadzi enrolled Felix’s household in the project.
Through a 4Children relationship with the Malawi Council of the Handicapped and Malawi Against Physical Disabilities, Felix received a wheelchair built to his size and needs. His wheelchair has a removable wooden tray which works as a school-desk. With his mobility challenges addressed, 4Children provided other basic school supplies and Felix is able to regularly attend school and comfortably do his school work.
Violet, Felix’s caseworker volunteer, continues to follow-up with his household while his family is on a path to graduate from the program.
*Name changed for privacy purposes.
This project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under cooperative agreement AID-OAA-A-14-00061. The story contents are the responsibility of 4Children and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government
