WHIRLWIND

 WHEELCHAIR

INTERNATIONAL

www.whirlwindwheelchair.org

Whirlwind RoughRider™ Goes to Iraq

A US State Department contractor has estimated that 500,000 Iraqis need a good wheelchair.  Now, a few more of them have one as more than 1800 Whirlwind RoughRiders™ have found their way to Iraq.

 

Manufactured by CE Mobility in Johannesburg, South Africa, and KienTuong Private Enterprise Wheelchair Manufacture in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the RoughRiders are the best and most appropriate active adult wheelchairs now in Iraq. The chairs were purchased by Reach Out and Care (ROC) Wheels, the Joint Iraqi Development and Unity (JIDU) Foundation, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) Humanitarian Services beginning in the second half of 2008.  They have been distributed in Basra, Baghdad, Babil, and Mosul.

 

As soon as the sample RoughRider reached Iraq, its advantages over other active adult models became apparent.  Rough urban conditions common in many developing countries have been compounded in Iraq by the ravages of war, leaving jaggededged concrete holes and rubble in many places.  Whirlwind is in discussions to establish a manufacturing facility in Babil, north of Baghdad.

 

Iraq is still like so many other places in the developing world in that it lacks the rehabilitation infrastructure necessary to ensure that wheel- chairs are properly distributed.  Here, the RoughRiders were distrib uted en masse. People were informed that wheelchairs were available.  They arrived at the time and place that the chairs would be distributed. The shipment contained representative sizes based on a guesstimate.  The users were matched to the chairs as best as could be done. There were no occupational or physical therapists or other trained persons to screen, assess, measure, fit, assemble, and adjust the wheelchairs.  An important part of Whirlwind’s ongoing effort is the development of training materials and support for local infrastructure to ensure that each person can get the most appropriate and well-fitted wheelchair.

 

It is Whirlwind’s policy to collaborate with everyone, regardless of political, religious, or national affiliation, who can contribute to our goal of independence and mobility for people who need good wheelchairs.

Whirlwind Franchise Update

Vietnam, South Africa, and Mexico are now building certified RoughRiders. Turkey and India are moving forward fast and should be certified by the end of the summer. Whirlwind will also be starting a project in May in the country of Georgia in collaboration with the Georgian Coalition of the Disabled and the World Institute on Disability (Oakland, CA). The project will establish a national network for the production, repair, and distribution of wheelchairs and will promote business and advocacy skills and accessibility for people with disabilities in four communities.  We cannot do any of this without your continuing support, for which we are very grateful. As you help Whirlwind you help change the world.

 

Send your check today, or donate online at

http://www.whirlwindwheelchair.org/donate.htm