National Wheelchair Project Objective: Address the island’s urgent need for wheelchairs for the handicapped, especially those disabled by landmines in the country’s North and East. Location: Island wide but especially aimed at areas of the North & East where land mine victims are numerous. Donors: Wheelchair Foundation of USA Kiwanis Club of Colombo City Rotary Club of Colombo East Daya Ratnayake and friends Partners: National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities Hill Country Disability Group Period: Initiated in November 2006; completion by mid-2008.
Project Benchmarks: November 2006: Patrick Harrigan and Dumindrini Ratnayake identify handicapped children of Haldummulla Division in need of wheelchairs. January 2007: Patrick approaches the Wheelchair Foundation of USA and makes initial enquiry about feasibility of distribution in Sri Lanka. February 2007: Patrick addresses the Rotary Club of Colombo East and proposes their participation as coordinators for Rotary Club international fund raising activities for a national Wheelchair Project. May 2007: Patrick meets the Director of the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities, secures his Ministry’s endorsement and participation. Kiwanis Club of Colombo City past President Daya Ratnayake pledges the KCCC’s support and secures Rotary Club of Colombo East agreement to implement a proposal to import four sea containers totalling 1,120 wheelchairs subsidized by the Wheelchair Foundation for island wide distribution to the needy. Remarks: The SLCT has been remarkably successful in facilitating its first island wide project, but at this early stage its exact role in the project remains undefined. We have observed however that often wheelchairs are unsuited to the Hill Country where road and path surfaces are poor and often too steep for wheelchairs, limiting their use to immediate residential premises. We will continue to play a facilitating (but not financial) role in the national Wheelchair Project, while also exploring alternative solutions for handicapped children of the Hill Country.
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