Hands Around the World (HATW) works in partnership with Pamodzi Ndi Ana (PNA) in Zambia. PNA is based in Chipata, and their disability programme is specifically designed to provide practical support to improve the lives of children with disabilities. Most of the children suffer from spina bifida, hydrocephalus or cerebral palsy, and PNA is committed to building a future where every child has the opportunity to thrive.
The provision of hard-wearing wheelchairs is essential for children with disabilities living in these extremely remote areas. However, most families cannot afford such items, and children with disabilities instead have to be carried on their mother’s backs until they are too heavy, or left at home, with no opportunities to move around, attend school or participate in everyday activities. To address this challenge, PNA provides specially designed wheelchairs to these children, wheelchairs that can cleverly be adapted and altered by adjusting the frames as the child grows, enabling the wheelchairs to be used into adulthood.
With support from HATW, each year PNA staff travel to these remote areas, up to 300km away to undertake wheelchair follow-up visits and assessments and provide support to the children and their families. The PNA staff assess the wheelchairs and undertake clever modifications to ensure the children are positioned correctly.
In September and November, the PNA team undertook wheelchair assessments and modifications in the extremely remote areas of Lumezi and Chama in eastern Zambia, areas that are several hours drive away on rough roads. The team travelled this long distance and took all the necessary tools and spare parts to fix, mend and adapt the wheelchairs. In Lumezi, the PNA team met with 19 children and their families and in Chama they assisted 45 children.
The follow-up visits consist of a complete evaluation of the wheelchairs to adapt them to the growth and specific needs of the child, and all information is recorded on a database to build up a vital history of the children. During the follow-up visits, PNA staff calibrate the measurements, replace damaged or missing parts and collect feedback from families on the daily use of the wheelchair, assessing the impact the wheelchair is having on the child and family’s life.
The outcome was excellent, thanks also to the splendid work of the local physiotherapists who organised the days efficiently. The PNA team highlighted how essential these visits are for the families and the children, the importance of connecting with and supporting the families and sharing challenges and issues that not everyone can understand. PNA believe the success of these missions is due to the synergy and the constant and deep exchange between the PNA team, the physiotherapists, the parents, and the children.
Simonetta, PNA’s disability coordinator in Zambia said, “Thank you, on behalf of the whole team, for making all this possible.”.
Providing wheelchairs means giving these children the opportunity to go to school, participate in social events and improve interpersonal relationships with their peers, creating meaningful, lasting change. Thank you for your support!
