Rotary Club of Samford Valley
Samford Supports Wheelchairs for Kids
At our recent Rotary Club of Samford Valley meeting, the members enthusiastically endorsed a Board decision to support “Wheelchairs for Kids Australia” (WfKA) which is a volunteer-based non-profit organisation based in Perth. The Club agreed to fund 10 wheelchairs at a cost of $275 each – a seemingly small dollar amount, but with an enormous impact.
WfKA provide the transformative gift of mobility to children in impoverished communities around the globe. The organisation was established in 1996 and since then over 64,000 all-terrain and fully-adjustable children’s wheelchairs have been distributed to over 90 lesser-developed countries worldwide, free of charge.
Founded by the Rotary Club of Scarborough in WA, teams of volunteers gather daily in the purpose-built factory, in order to manufacture and build the wheelchairs. These chairs are based upon an Australian design and tested to both ISO7176 standards and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Every week, more than 250 regular volunteers attend the factory in Wangara, Western Australia. Another 300+ volunteers then assist by sewing covers for supports on the wheelchairs as well as knitting and crocheting rugs and small toys, with all of these items sent with each wheelchair. The finished products are then exported to children living with disability around the world, including our own Aboriginal communities, via a network of distribution partners.
Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are among the nation’s most marginalised people. Those with a disability are doubly disadvantaged and wheelchairs provided by the Federal Government’s NDIS do not always cater to the rough terrain and arid conditions in which our remote communities are located.
Wheelchair provision is so much more than the physical product. By providing mobility, WfKA enables children to attend school, engage in their communities and lead more fulfilling lives. With a wheelchair, these children are raised off the ground, creating better health, social and economic outcomes for both themselves and their families.
WfKA are proud to have given this life-changing gift of mobility and dignity, unlocking a world of possibilities and setting the wheels in motion towards a brighter future. The Rotary Club of Samford Valley is also proud to support this worthwhile organisation but, as always, we are only able to do so through the continuing support of our Samford Community.
Carol Robinson
