This post is also available in: Spanish
Above, a Señora is transported by her grandaughter to recieve a wheel chair donation organized by Comandos de Salvamento at Majahual Beach 2010. Since 2005, Comandos de Salvamento has been collaborating with the organization Free Wheel Chair Mission in it’s goal to provide everyone with the gift of mobility. The mission recieves factory produced wheel chairs from China and distributes them throughout the world. The chairs are made from simple but sturdy plastic lawn chairs with mountain bike tires. From the website=”The FWM wheelchair was a child of necessity, conceived in compassion and born of ingenuity. On that life-changing trip to Morocco, Dr. Don Schoendorfer saw the need, heard the call, and set out to develop a durable, safe, inexpensive wheelchair. A mechanical engineer and inventor by trade, Don’s goal was to come up with a most basic design at an extremely low cost so as to reach as many disabled impoverished people as could be served in the shortest possible amount of time.
Comandos de Salvamento is the main distributor of chairs in the country and works with FWCM Representative Cristina Amaya in reaching families. Cristina has chosen CDS as a cultural liasion since they are known throughout the country in offering free EMS and Community Healthcare. Individuals with mobility problems or families first make a request to the main base of CDS. The chair parts are then put together by CDS volunteers, and then given away. According to their website, more than 77 countries have recieved 476,705 chairs of which 8,800 went to fulfill peoples dreams of mobility in El Salvador.
Cristina Amaya states the following,
“Via rescue task force, Gary Becks & Andrea Stone along with the world emergency were able to get donations that were sent by free wheel chair mission some time ago.
“This is the third semi container full of wheelchairs that the great family of Comandos de Salvamento has given out to the beneficiaries that asked for them at the main base.
Each shipping container had a total of 550 wheelchairs, shipped from Shaghai China. We also received numerous donations of vitamins, shampoo, granola bars and pineapple juice. A pure transformation in the lives of those that need the gift of mobility”.
“A thousand thanks to Comandos de Salvamento”.
Fotos por Ricardo Segura y sitio de Freewheel chair.
Below are a few videos documenting this wonderful work between CDS and Cristina in helping FWCM fulfill its mission. Comandos de Salvamento believes it is a fundamental human right to have access to mobility.