Toamasina Wheelchair Project

When we arrived in Toamasina, we immediately got busy trying to know the town!  We met Jumelle (one of our translators) and she rode around with us to show us all the places we needed to go and we marked them in to our GPS (have I said how much I LOVE our GPS :)?).  We also had to check on the restaurant that was catering our lunches for the three days of training.  It felt so good to go to bed!  The next day we went to church and continued increasing our knowledge of the city.  We also made several trips to the airport to pick up the Wheelchair specialists and trainers that the church was sending.  Their flight was postponed several times!  At the Mission Home, Air Madagascar is know as Air Maybe!  When they finally arrived they were exhausted and hungry (on Sunday all restaurants close at noon), they settled for a granola bar and headed to bed!  The next day we hit it hard!  It was amazing to watch all the specialists walk in to the location and have it looking totally different and all set up in just 1 1/2 hours!  All I can say about the next three days is - work, work, work, go, go, go and feel the joy :)!!  It was a highlight of our mission and a wonderful experience!  We felt overwhelmed at seeing so many needs and knowing how much joy and comfort and what a difference this chair was making in their lives and the lives of their families!  

This is the Ministry of Population - they were the partner with the church on this project.

This is where the the wheelchairs were stored and where the training took place.  It was just behind the Ministry of Population.  The inside had a bunch of chairs and tables (not in great shape) and the Specialists came in made it all work!  They put tables together, cleared out a room so they could have 2 classrooms, and made it fit perfectly to their needs.

Over three hundred wheelchairs and 180 pairs of crutches.

First room ready to begin instruction of all the trainees!

Second room ready for instruction of the clinicians!

Jumelle doing some translation of materials for the specialists!

Second half of the first room ready for training the technicians and assembling wheelchairs.

Let the instruction begin!  Vony Ferdinand, Director of the Ministry of Population.

Elder Dow, the wheelchair specialist from the Church.

Elder Asay speaking on behalf of the Church.

The trainers, two to train the technicians and two to train the clinicians. (Blake, Tyler, Andy, and Craig)

Learning, training, and doing!  They were taught and they assembled over 17 wheelchairs. 

On the second day the clinicians spent the day in the wheelchairs so they could see how important it is to have the proper fit when you spend all your waking hours in the chairs.

Vony had given the wrong date to the recipients and they stared arriving early on the second day (instead of on the third day).  They came in the pouring rain and then had to go back home.   We all felt so bad.

This man cannot walk and he and his wife and three came kids came to get his wheelchair.  They left to walk home, him on his hands and rear.

Others were lucky enough to leave in a puse puse.

Later in the afternoon there was a little dancing during break time!

With chairs put together, it was time to train them in how to train the new users to work the chair and take care of the chair.

Even Elder Asay took one for a test drive.

At the end of each day, and at the start of each day, three of the rainers had to ride in the back of the truch!

Breakfast on the last day!  Everyone in their event shirts and ready to wind up training and distribute some wheelchairs!

Sweeping up and making room for new recipients to be fitted.

Our friends came back for the right day and were ready to be assessed and fitted in to a new or first chair!

This fellow had made "hand shoes" out of wood and string.

This girl is 19 years old.  Her brother came to the training everyday so he could learn how to help her care for her chair and know how to use it.

baby fell asleep while waiting for his dad to get his chair :)

It was a happy family that could now enjoy the chair!

Success!

Another patient, patient

Success!

He was so happy and felt right at home in his chair!

This fellow was one of the trainees all week and was surprised when he was presented with a chair!

  

Measuring for a good fit.

A very happy recipient

It was fun to see this girl in red be so excited and wheel her chair around in excitement.

Needing one more chair!

Nineteen people had come to receive chair on that afternoon.  Out of the 19, only two did not qualify.  17 chairs were given to disabled people with great needs.

After all chairs were given, it was time to have the Handover Ceremony.  Many people game from the government, the media, and the church.  There were many speeches, the trainees received their certificates and a plaque was presented to the Ministry of Population.

Once again, I felt such joy at being present to see the gospel in action and be aware of the wonderful humanitarian work being done here and I know, all around the world!

Some of the recipients stayed for the ceremony

Some of the government officials gathering to come to the ceremony.

Trainees are now trained and qualified to work as technicians and clinicians in building and fitting wheelchairs to recipients.

A plaque was presented to the Ministry of Population.


The evening ended with refreshments and lots of happy visiting and enjoying the event that we had all just enjoyed being part of!