Within a few weeks of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we received a desperate plea from the Director of the Dzherelo Centre in Lviv, Ukraine. This facility took care of 400 children and young people with severe disabilities. As the war broke out, they started to take in dozens of refugee families with disabled children. They had to get out quickly, leaving their wheelchairs behind and “carrying their children to us with their bare hands”. The Centre fed and housed them and administered medicine but lacked mobility devices. They requested 100 of our specialized Kanga wheelchairs and 150 of the regular ones. Our staff immediately went into action and placed the order which would arrive five months later after being manufactured, shipped to Poland and then taken by truck through war zones into eastern Ukraine.
The Wheelchair Foundation prides itself in acting quickly to help the victims of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina and the recent Hurricane Ian here in America, or the devastating earthquake that leveled Haiti. Now we are moving rapidly to help provide mobility for the refugees, the estimated 10,000 severely injured civilians and the over 30,000 wounded Ukrainian soldiers. A second order of 280 wheelchairs is on its way and several Rotary clubs and districts have combined forces with the Rotary Foundation to secure a Disaster Relief Grant to provide a third container. The genesis for this container came after the Crown Prince and Princess of Serbia showed a live video feed during a hosted luncheon in which the Director of a non-profit organization on the ground in Eastern Ukraine described the horrific effects of the war and the skyrocketing casualties. In addition to the children’s hospitals, he said “we are now focusing on the new areas that have been freed of Russians such as Kherson. In that area there are 10 hospitals, and the Russians took everything when they departed leaving empty buildings. We are trying to re-equip these smaller hospitals and clinics with wheelchairs.”
As serendipity would have it, Don Routh, one of our longtime major donors, just happened to have a cousin helping the Ukrainians and was in a hospital when our first wheelchairs arrived. He had witnessed the carnage firsthand on the battlefield and described to Don the huge impact that our wheelchairs had on the civilians and soldiers overwhelming the hospitals. Don was so moved by his stories that he contacted our office and wanted to use the funds he has raised towards a fourth container which will arrive in the Spring.
The Ukrainian people have demonstrated their bravery and resilience fighting for their freedom as they endure the most fierce and relentless shelling since World War II. The casualty rates have been staggering and will probably not ebb for several months. The Wheelchair Foundation is honored that we can help over 1000 children, adults and soldiers during this dire period in our world’s history. We are deeply grateful to all the Rotarians and donors who have stepped up to make this possible.
The need for wheelchairs continues to be a great one, not only in Ukraine, but around the world. You can donate to Wheelchair Foundation by clicking the button below. Every dollar makes a difference, and we appreciate you helping us continuing our mission of providing mobility to those that need it around the world.
Happy Holidays to you and your families,
Wheelchair Foundation
