Cerebral
Palsy sufferer Gabriel, of Kasese, Uganda, was able to experience
mobility again thanks to a locally built, hand-pedalled tricycle
provided by the Canugan Disability Support Project.
For
40 years, Gabriel had dragged himself through the streets of Kasese,
Uganda, on his way to the market. With worn out wooden sandals on his
hands and rags protecting his knees, he pulled himself over bumps and
rocks on the road.
Gabriel has cerebral palsy and has never been able to use his legs. When he was a boy, his povertystricken family abandoned him in the street because they could no longer support him. He seemed condemned to a bleak life, begging for morsels of food.
But the Ottawa-based Canugan Disability Support Project has given him a new angle on life -literally. Donations have bought him a handpedalled tricycle, built locally in Kasese, and for perhaps the first time, he is able to get off the ground and experience mobility.
The project first started when Ottawa resident Navin Parekh was volunteering in Uganda, working with people with disabilities. He blogged about his activities, and soon friends and colleagues in Canada were e-mailing offers of donations.
"As (Gabriel) moved, his face lit up," wrote Parekh in his blog. "Since everyone in Kasese knew Gabriel, people on the street were all watching him with intense curiosity and joy. As he started pedalling, Gabriel got quite excited and started moving so fast that at the street corner, his tricycle flipped over. Everyone gathered and had a big laugh and so did Gabriel."
What first inspired Parekh was meeting another local of Kasese, Biiara Gatrida, who suffered from polio. She came to his office frequently, crawling on her hands and knees, but she was always motivated and didn't let her physical limitations stand in her way.
Gatrida had learned basket weav-ing, tailoring, sewing and handicrafts to make ends meet for her and her two children. But she still found it difficult to sell her merchandise.
"She told me her biggest wish was to have a vehicle so that she didn't have to depend on others to get around and sell her products," he said.
Gatrida was the first recipient of a tricycle, Gabriel the second, and so far 11 others have received vehicles to improve their lives. The organization has also supplied the vision impaired with white canes, and the hearing impaired with hearing aids.
Since then, Gatrida has open
ed her own business, and is teaching other disabled women how to support themselves.
"Today, Gatrida tirelessly continues her efforts on behalf of others with disabilities. Her challenges are many and huge, but with her lowkey and confident personality, she perseveres with patience and commitment," Parekh said.
Realizing the difference Canadians can make in the lives of Ugandans, Parekh is now finalizing details of a partnership between the non-religious Hindu Society of Ottawa-Carleton and the Kasese District Union of Persons with Disabilities to broaden the coverage of the campaign.
The next step is to launch an apprenticeship program to teach vocational skills to people with disabilities, including tailoring, carpentry, raising of poultry, egg marketing and basic computer skills.
A rehabilitation facility is also in the works for children with disabilities, to help them cope and adapt to their condition during their formative years.
"The scope is so immense because there are so many people who need tricycles, hearing aids and walking sticks to live in Uganda," Parekh said.
Out of Uganda's population of 33 million, 16 per cent, or more than five million people, are physically disabled. Not only are many people born with disabilities, but thousands have been injured or orphaned as a result of civil wars or uprisings.
But Parekh and his organization assert that disability is not inability, and that with mobility and vocational skills, hope can be renewed in Kasese, which is in southwest Uganda and has been a frequent focal point of conflict.
The official unveiling of the project is June 9 at the Jim Robillard Union Centre at 1505 Carling Ave. Senator Mobina Jaffer is scheduled to attend, and philanthropist Dave Smith, founder of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre, will be the emcee. Donations for the organization can be sent online to www.canadahelps.org. By Michael Aubry, The Ottawa Citizen
Gabriel has cerebral palsy and has never been able to use his legs. When he was a boy, his povertystricken family abandoned him in the street because they could no longer support him. He seemed condemned to a bleak life, begging for morsels of food.
But the Ottawa-based Canugan Disability Support Project has given him a new angle on life -literally. Donations have bought him a handpedalled tricycle, built locally in Kasese, and for perhaps the first time, he is able to get off the ground and experience mobility.
The project first started when Ottawa resident Navin Parekh was volunteering in Uganda, working with people with disabilities. He blogged about his activities, and soon friends and colleagues in Canada were e-mailing offers of donations.
"As (Gabriel) moved, his face lit up," wrote Parekh in his blog. "Since everyone in Kasese knew Gabriel, people on the street were all watching him with intense curiosity and joy. As he started pedalling, Gabriel got quite excited and started moving so fast that at the street corner, his tricycle flipped over. Everyone gathered and had a big laugh and so did Gabriel."
What first inspired Parekh was meeting another local of Kasese, Biiara Gatrida, who suffered from polio. She came to his office frequently, crawling on her hands and knees, but she was always motivated and didn't let her physical limitations stand in her way.
Gatrida had learned basket weav-ing, tailoring, sewing and handicrafts to make ends meet for her and her two children. But she still found it difficult to sell her merchandise.
"She told me her biggest wish was to have a vehicle so that she didn't have to depend on others to get around and sell her products," he said.
Gatrida was the first recipient of a tricycle, Gabriel the second, and so far 11 others have received vehicles to improve their lives. The organization has also supplied the vision impaired with white canes, and the hearing impaired with hearing aids.
Since then, Gatrida has open
ed her own business, and is teaching other disabled women how to support themselves.
"Today, Gatrida tirelessly continues her efforts on behalf of others with disabilities. Her challenges are many and huge, but with her lowkey and confident personality, she perseveres with patience and commitment," Parekh said.
Realizing the difference Canadians can make in the lives of Ugandans, Parekh is now finalizing details of a partnership between the non-religious Hindu Society of Ottawa-Carleton and the Kasese District Union of Persons with Disabilities to broaden the coverage of the campaign.
The next step is to launch an apprenticeship program to teach vocational skills to people with disabilities, including tailoring, carpentry, raising of poultry, egg marketing and basic computer skills.
A rehabilitation facility is also in the works for children with disabilities, to help them cope and adapt to their condition during their formative years.
"The scope is so immense because there are so many people who need tricycles, hearing aids and walking sticks to live in Uganda," Parekh said.
Out of Uganda's population of 33 million, 16 per cent, or more than five million people, are physically disabled. Not only are many people born with disabilities, but thousands have been injured or orphaned as a result of civil wars or uprisings.
But Parekh and his organization assert that disability is not inability, and that with mobility and vocational skills, hope can be renewed in Kasese, which is in southwest Uganda and has been a frequent focal point of conflict.
The official unveiling of the project is June 9 at the Jim Robillard Union Centre at 1505 Carling Ave. Senator Mobina Jaffer is scheduled to attend, and philanthropist Dave Smith, founder of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre, will be the emcee. Donations for the organization can be sent online to www.canadahelps.org. By Michael Aubry, The Ottawa Citizen
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