May 16, 2010

FRIDAY WHEELCHAIR STORY: JORDAN GAINS INDEPENDENCE AND A NEW TRADE

Written by Free Wheelchair Mission on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 6:10pm

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A wonderful friend of Free Wheelchair Mission, Dell Fuller, travelled recently to Kenya and Tanzania, sharing the mission, learning more about wheelchairs distributed and programs supported, and documenting the amazing people he was able to meet. Now our FWM Global Program Representative, Dell returned with the inspirational story of Jordan JosphaKilonga, a 30-year-old man from Tanzania:

Jordan got Polio as a child and has not had the use of his legs for most of his 30 years. He is from Iringa, a city in central Tanzania located on the main highway which links the country of Zambia to the south with the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam. I met Jordan in Mbeya, Tanzania. He is a student at the Iyunga Catholic Vocational Training School for the disabled in Mbeya, Tanzania.

Jordan received his Free Wheelchair Mission wheelchair from the Catholic Vocational Training School, which in turn had received the wheelchair through the coordinating efforts of Herman Longo and his Unity for Diversity Foundation, FWM’s distribution partner in Tanzania. Solely through the tireless efforts of Herman Longo, UDF has created a highly functional relationship with a variety of social welfare networks to bring aid and comfort to the disabled population of Tanzania. The central government of Tanzania, the Catholic Church, organizations for the disabled, orphan organizations and various NGO’s have been brought together by Herman Longo and UDF to distribute FWM wheelchairs to those in need. 

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Jordan said that the wheelchair has been a salvation, giving him a new independence, enabling him to travel 3 kilometers each way between his residence and the vocational school. Jordan is learning sewing and the skills necessary for making clothing. He told me that he felt truly blessed to have received his wheelchair which has given him the opportunity to attend the Vocational Training School. He is very much looking forward to returning to his home in Iringa to rejoin family and friends and embark on a new career in making clothing as well as enjoy the blessing of mobility with his new wheelchair. He is thankful to all who made this possible.