Hearts full of praise!

A problem I encountered more than once was unresolved fractured neck of femur (a broken hip). In the UK it can usually be fixed by a partial hip replacement or a dynamic hip screw. However, in this part of the world, unless you have money the problem won't be treated surgically, condemning the sufferer to pain and disability for the rest of their life.

The simple gift of a wheelchair doesn't solve the problem but it does make the situation easier for a sufferer and their family.

Was this lady happy at the end of the seating assessment? - I think so!

Dignity for the disabled, relief for the carer

If being disabled in the UK is difficult, the problems are multiplied in Africa. For a start, there is still stigma attached to disability, although in parts of Kenya this is starting to change, often as a result of bringing in good theology, each person precious to God no matter what their "status". Imagine others regarding you as "cursed by God" for having a disability, or your father leaving your mother because he regarded you as bringing shame on the family.

For another thing, there is often a heavy burden on a mother or a family where a disabled member needs carrying.

A wheelchair not only gives dignity to the one needing it, but relief to the main carer too.

Have motorcycle, will travel

At our first distribution in the countryside, a few miles from Kimilili, young and old came to be assessed for a wheelchair. One of my clients was an elderly lady brought by her grandson.

She transferred with help from a green plastic chair to a wheelchair and was delighted with it. A lovely straightforward seating assessment.

It never occurred to me how she got here or how she would get home but a little while later I saw her set off - on the back of her grandson's motorcycle with the folded wheelchair strapped onto the luggage rack!

Such is the "can-do" spirit of Africa! Travelling by motorcycle taxi is a common form of transport, I've discovered, even if you have an elderly grandmother or a disabled child to bring. Can't see it catching on in the UK though ....

It's all about teamwork

The nine of us who went out to Kenya were a great team.... but it's not just about us. Tapping into local knowledge is key and we couldn't have done what we did without there being a strong team of Kenyans already there. From the head of the IcFEM organisation - Solomon, through to the translators who helped each therapist communicate with the clients and the practical guys who loaded the lorry, we depended on the locals. Becky, left, is a physio by training, working as manager of IcFEM's big project: Dreamland Mission Hospital (more about that in a later post). Her wide knowledge of local staff, client needs and practical seating skills was invaluable. Here she shares a joke with 2 of our team, Charlotte and Lucy.

Another key member of the local team was physio technician, Mellan, right, adding a touch of glamour to the proceedings! She pre-assessed many of the clients so that the right chairs could be sent out.

An equally significant part of the team are the pastors who pray for the clients following the seating assessment and also offer a Bible in their own tongue. Here a Wheels member Rob works with some of the local pastors, using a bookmark to focus on what the Bible says about disability and what each one of us means to God.

A good distribution starts with selection

When the wheelchairs arrive by container lorry, they are stored somewhere safe until the day the team arrives to do the distributions. There is a sort of beauty in seeing them lined up here at IcFEM HQ in Kimilili!

We arrange them by size (according to a coloured tape around one handle) and then work out from the pre-assessment forms what we will need the following day:

The next day they are taken to the distribution in the lorry. Note the motto!

There they are lined up under the Jacaranda trees at our first distribution:

Notice an interested crowd of children is already there!

Back home after 10 amazing days!

The team touched down at Heathrow this morning after 10 fantastic days in Kenya on a "Wheels" trip (Wheels for the World wheelchair distribution.) We travelled thousands of miles by air and hundred of miles by road (some very pot-holed!)and feel grateful for God's safe-keeping. We received such warmth and friendship and hospitality from the Kenyans we met and from our British links too, who have made Kenya their home. We encountered people who were poor, disabled and marginalised - but we know that the God of love would describe them as his beloved and precious children. We experienced God's amazing grace, time and time again finding a chair from our diminishing stocks that met each client's needs, sometimes by adaptation with foam and gaffer tape! Certainly, working in an environment where resources are limited, is an excellent place for learning anew about God's provision! Photos have yet to be downloaded from my camera but hopefully will follow soon. You can checkout this group photo as we set off!! https://www.facebook.com/throughtheroof/photos/a.10150367429504957.1073741834.10470694956/10150388184429957/?type=1&theater

Two days to go!

I did most of the packing yesterday and the trip feels imminent - which it is! I'm using my phone to blog for the first time in the hope that I can update from Kenya. So far so good!