The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one.
Advance Guatemala adds value to this partnership by identifying the wheelchair recipients and measuring them so that the wheelchairs provided are retrofitted to their height and weight. The Wheelchair Foundation is responsible for manufacturing the wheelchairs, loading and delivering the container Advance Guatemala has raised funds for. The project’s impact is felt in real time during a distribution ceremony in which each recipient and their families are invited to receive the gift of mobility with each donated wheelchair.
The powerful element of our partnership with The Wheelchair Foundation is that they match our donated amount dollar for dollar. Given that each wheelchair costs $150 to manufacture, a $75 donation made through Advance Guatemala for this cause results in a deserving recipient in Guatemala receiving the gift of mobility!
Hope, Mobility & Independence
It is estimated that at least 100 million children, teens and adults worldwide need a wheelchair but cannot afford one. Some international organizations believe that the number could be as high as 6% of the population of developing countries.
The Wheelchair Foundation distributes wheelchairs worldwide through a network of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as Advance Guatemala, that have ongoing humanitarian relief missions in the countries of wheelchair destination. These distribution partners handle all aspects of the importation and distribution of the wheelchairs to children that can now go to school, adults that can now go to work, and seniors that can once again become an active part of family life and society.
The wheelchairs distributed are specifically designed for the rough conditions of developing countries. Extra heavy wheels, tires, and front casters, sealed bearings and nylon seating make these wheelchairs the best possible solution for most conditions.
This wheelchair would normally cost $500 in the United States and as much as $1,700 (US) in some developing countries. But for just $150, the Wheelchair Foundation can purchase and deliver this life-changing mobility device to Guatemalans in need.
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