Wheelchair Organization Offers Hope and Mobility to Disabled Angolans

Strengthening its commitment to sub-Saharan Africa, the Wheelchair Foundation, in partnership with ChevronTexaco and the Dallas, Texas District of Rotary International, will give more than 950 wheelchairs to Angolans injured by landmines.  ChevronTexaco is the parent company of Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (Cabgoc) the operator of Block 0 in Angola, representing the members of the Cabinda Association, Sonangol, Total and Eni.

The donation, which will be made Tuesday, December 16, 2003 in Luanda, Angola, will bring the number of wheelchairs the organization has distributed in the war-torn country to 3,240.

First Lady Ana Paula dos Santos, whose Lwini Foundation has worked to provide wheelchairs to Angolans injured by landmines, will attend the distribution on behalf of the Angolan government.  Mrs. dos Santos has elevated public awareness of the dangers of landmines through her support of the late Princess Diana’s worldwide campaign to ban the hidden explosives.

“Our sincere hope is that these wheelchairs, more than simply providing mobility, will restore dignity, hope, and freedom to a people who have suffered so deeply from the ill effects of war in recent years,” said Joel Hodge, regional operations director for the Wheelchair Foundation.

Angola has more disabled citizens per capita than any other country in the world.  An estimated 20 percent of the country’s 12 million people are physically impaired, many as a result of injuries from landmines left over from years of civil war.

ChevronTexaco and the Dallas Rotarians, who have been longtime supporters of the Wheelchair Foundation, have a strong commitment to helping improve the lives of the disabled around the globe.

“When you see the gratitude on the faces of the wheelchair recipients, you understand how meaningful this contribution is to them,” said Jim Blackwell, managing director of the Southern Africa Business Unit of ChevronTexaco.  “We’re pleased to participate in this life-changing program.”

This is ChevronTexaco’s third contribution of wheelchairs in the past four years and is part of the company’s initiative to partner with communities around the globe where it conducts business.

“All we can do is our small part, but what a part it is,” said Oran Bain, international service director for Rotary District 5810.  “With 26,000 people injured or killed by landmines around the world each year, I can’t think of a better investment of our resources than with the gift of a wheelchair.”

The Wheelchair Foundation was founded in 2000 by Kenneth E. Behring, an American philanthropist, after he saw the look of hope in a young Romanian girl’s eyes when she received a wheelchair.  Since its inception, the Foundation has delivered more than 200,000 wheelchairs to every corner of the globe, including a recent distribution of 5,000 wheelchairs to Afghanistan.