Tricycles and Wheelchairs Update 1

There we have it! It’s less than 2 months since the appeal for donations went up on here and already we have 2 tricycles doing good service around the streets of Ntcheu. Two people have had a life sentence of confinement and dependence removed thanks to this latest agent of empowerment. Their stories are remarkable and I give you a small close up of each one here. But before I do that, I should like to thank everyone at home for all their generous contributions. Without these, none of these patients would have had this unique chance to see their lives so suddenly imbued with hope again.

Case1: GC is a 60 year old man who grew up with a congenital condition causing all his limbs to be short and disproportionate. Over the years he developed contractures of both his legs, resulting in impaired mobility. How that deteriorated after he had the fall that led him to come into hospital under my care! He broke his femur and despite it healing in the end, his mobility and especially his confidence suffered a blow. His job as a goat seller at the market took a turn for the worse as a result and he himself came up to me to plead for help towards a mobility aid. Any difficulties I was having in selecting suitable candidates for the project were at once solved and I referred him to the rehabilitation technician of our hospital to be measured. I promptly delivered these to the office in Blantyre and within a month the tricycle was ready. I was already a Blantyre resident by then but I hadn’t lost all my links with Ntcheu. So I called the hospital transport manager to ask if there was any vehicle going from Blantyre to Ntcheu soon. By some stroke of fate, the same truck that delivered Janet and I into Blantyre with all our boxes, was back on another errand that same day. Since I had 2 tricycles to deliver together, again all my worries about uniting the patients with their long awaited tricycles were solved. A week later, I went to hand them over to GC (and BK, presented below). Not without some ceremony which is customary and expected with this kind of thing, the handover was done with the blessings of the DMO, DHO and administrator of Ntcheu DH. As GC wheeled off in his new transporter, you could sense that a whole new chapter had opened up in his life. One where he would regain some of that lost independence and resume remunerated work. Nothing more than that serene smile of gratitude on his face could convey it better...
Before
After
That Smile!
With DHO
With DMO

Case2: BK was a victim in so many ways. Born also with a slight abnormality affecting his physiognomy and leading to premature cataracts, he became the target of mockery and abuse from other people. Aged only 18, he was thus assaulted in Blantyre while I was still in Ntcheu and suffered panga knife cuts all over his lower limbs. These went through many of his tendons and nerves and healed very poorly. He was eventually referred over to his home district of Ntcheu from Blantyre to have rehabilitation. His legs had become almost completely dysfunctional by then, being complicated by infection and neurological deficits. With all his life ahead of him, consigning him to a fate of lifelong dependence and immobility seemed incredibly unfair. Thankfully his hands were spared. So, once the project got set up, I had no doubts who would be one of the first beneficiaries and I made sure I got all his contact details. He got measured in the same way as GC and had his bike made in the same batch. This was delivered to him 2 days after GC got his under the auspice of the entire orthopaedic department this time in the Ntcheu DH courtyard. His brother accompanied him and the new pride of being able to live a dignified life was the greatest gift of thanks anyone would want in return of this gift of mobility and independence to BK.
Before
After
With our amazing orthopaedic team

Check out the first donations on youtube to see the difference you can/have made to these patients’ lives:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOmHayuJbzk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfLLSDorkLo

About the project:
The bikes do take a little while to get used to. So the patients have to be reviewed by the rehab tech at first to make sure they are using it properly and safely. That is why the Ntcheu project works so well, as we have our own resident rehab tech there, Mr Mittawa. He has been extremely useful in getting the project set up and will remain as a link person there for future patient selection and work up. The bikes also will need some maintenance over their lifetime and they are made so that the cost of this repair is down to a minimum, using the same parts as the cheapest bikes around. If well maintained, they should last a good 20 years or more. The best thing about this project is that it employs Malawians to build the bikes locally and also supports the organisation which runs the workshops, called Malawi Against Physical Disability. This organisation is really transparent and has enormous potential to come to help to disabled people across the land. The only thing limiting them is lack of funds. By receiving more orders for their workshops, they are able to assist more disabled Malawians, who would otherwise just have to live with their disabilities. So far we have 2 tricycles. There are 2 more orders underway. And depending on how much more money I raise, we’ll have even more people being given this unique chance of some life changing improvement.

The mean machines!

Being shipped to home county- Ntcheu

Please keep your contributions coming. All you need to do is email me on ashtindoorgakant@yahoo.co.uk for details of my bank account (maybe paypal soon).