What do you think about this statement?  "Wheelchairs that are made to operate on smooth surfaces (streets, sidewalks, shopping malls, homes) within the United States are able to operate equally well on the rugged terrain (or uncertain terrain) in developing nations". 

True, or False?  Click here to see the first wheelchair that we took to Kenya.  This high-quality American-style wheelchair broke within the first 6 months of use!  Please look at this picture and judge for yourself.  Are American-style chairs adequate for developing nations if this particular chair broke after only a few months of use?

At Wheels of Love, we are convinced that many wheelchair designs which are able to function adequately inside the United States are NOT suitable for general distribution to people living inside developing nations; not unless the rules of proper wheelchair usage are modified and properly explained to the people who are to receive such chairs. In other words, we could continue to send American wheelchairs to developing nations, but we should at the same time WARN that the chair may break if used outside the home.

Engineers who specialize in the design of wheelchairs are learning that many wheelchairs from the US are failing to adequately meet the needs of people in developing nations.  To be fair, we have observed that even certain specially designed chairs made for rugged terrain usage fail as well, but in different ways due to certain weaknesses in design implementation.  But there must be a way to produce a safe and effective chair that will withstand the stresses and strains of real world useage.

One common point of failure with such American wheelchairs occurs at the tiny wheels and casters located in the front of typical chairs.  The spokes of these wheels are most often made of plastic which snaps when the wheel hits a pot-hole, curb, step, etc., at just the right angle and speed; after a certain number of impacts the wheel is destined to break at one of the spokes, or even along the outer edge of the wheel.  After being permanently damaged by a suitable blow to the wheel structure, not only can a spoke break but also the rubber lining along the outside edge of the wheel can come loose.  The rim of the wheel can also warp. 

This is only ONE point point of failure.  There are other areas on a chair which can cause problems and there are other reasons why an American-style wheelchair is inferior for use in a developing nation, in our opinion.

[photo: This is what can happen to a person who is given an improperly fitted wheelchair, or a wheelchair of an inferior design]. 

[Photo obtained from http://www.motivation.org.uk  Please visit this website to learn more about the technical problems associated with wheelchair fitting, selection, and distribution.]

There are other serious problems, even potentially life threatening, which can arise when incorrect wheelchair fitting occurs, or if an inappropriate style of wheelchair is given to someone whose disability is complex and requires very special measurements, etc.

The chairs that WOL believes are safe and effective in developing nations are manufactured outside the USA and are designed to be extra durable on rugged terrain. 

During our mission trip to Kenya in early 2006, Wheels of Love's founder, Toby, used a brand new (fresh out of the box) American-style manual wheelchair which broke on  the third week of operating on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya.  As we sought ways to get the chair repaired in the heavily populated modern city of Nairobi, we discovered that Kenya apparently does not have aluminum welding technology.  This information was provided by a mechanical engineer who was doing charitable work in Nairobi.  The fact that there is no aluminum welding technology in the country is not meant to be a derogatory statement about the people of Kenya, they just have other welding technology at their disposal. 

Since many American-style manual wheelchairs are made of aluminum, lack of aluminum welding technology translates to scores of useless manual wheelchairs that may be sitting and rusting away in junk piles.  Or possibly worse yet, broken-down chairs may very well still be in use by people who have no other options.

At the time of this writing, a wheelchair donated from the United States to a person living in a developing nation is expected to break in a significant way, within the first 6 months of use!  As more data becomes available, it would seem that there may be quite literally thousands of crippled American wheelchairs dotted along the earth's landscape; wheelchairs that have been donated by well meaning organizations. 

To further compound the situation, there are also some wheelchair designs that look good (or even "cute") to the  uneducated eye, which may be causing disappointment, heartache, and serious medical problems. 

At this time, we believe that our chairs of choice are safe and effective but we do need to evaluate these chairs early in the game, so that adjustments can be made if necessary.  It would be best if we do this prior to hundreds, or thousands of chairs being handed out in the future.

One of our goals is to identify wheelchair shortcomings, if they exist, and move toward improving the quality of wheelchair donations. 

Let us not be content with the idea of playing the numbers game in order to have high statistics - large numbers of donated wheelchairs - for the sake of raising funds for one's particular organization.  Rather, let all of us who are called to meet the needs of the physically challenged move toward higher quality, not just higher quantity. 

Let us do all things as if unto the Lord Himself.

If you or your church is interested in participating in one of our next mission trip to Kenya, please send an email or call us at the phone number below.