Motivation

Around 70 million people in the developing world need an appropriate wheelchair.

Without basic mobility, they are unable to leave their homes, go to school or to work. Many are left to lie on the floor. Many more die from preventable complications. Most live in extreme poverty.

It doesn't have to be this way. Motivation's wheelchairs, services and training are creating a fairer society, where everyone has the freedom to live, love, work and play.

Our wheelchairs are designed specifically for the rough terrain often found in developing countries and, because one size doesn't fit all, each wheelchair is individually fitted and prescribed by a trained professional.

But, the right wheelchair is just the start. To really put the wheels in motion, we give disabled people the specialist training and support they need to stay healthy, get mobile and live independently.

3-year-old Sunday lives in Uganda. He has cerebral palsy and, without the right wheelchair and support, his mother Agnes struggled to care for him. Sunday’s neighbours called him ‘ghost’ because they believed his disability was caused by curse (not uncommon in parts of Africa).

Things started looking up for Agnes and Sunday when they attended a Motivation training course for parents of disabled children. These courses not only change attitudes, but give parents like Agnes the knowledge and skills to feed their children safely and encourage communication. Motivation has since fitted Sunday with his first wheelchair and he has improved so much that Agnes now hopes he will be able to go to school one day.

A near-fatal car crash left Billy from Malawi paralysed. But, at a time when he needed support the most, Billy’s wife left him; he lost his job and many of his friends. With the right wheelchair and training from Motivation, he got his life back on track. Now, he’s putting the wheels in motion for others by volunteering for Motivation as ‘peer trainer’, giving other disabled people the skills and confidence they need to live independent lives.

Watch a video about Billy at www.motivation.org.uk/wheels_in_motion

Maya lives in Nepal. When she decided to help an elderly neighbour feed his buffalo, she never expected that an act of kindness would change her life forever. While climbing a tree to collect foliage for the animals, she fell. Maya would never walk again.

800 million disabled people around the world live in poverty. For Maya, with no means to work or provide for her family, the future looked bleak. With a new Motivation wheelchair, she could finally leave her home and is now able to run a convenience store in her local community. She can now feed her family.