A shipment of new wheelchairs donated by the Wheelchair Foundation is providing newfound mobility to hundreds of people in Gaza.
Um Bashar could not hide her relief after she finally received a wheelchair for her son. Her son Bashar, 23, has been facing considerable challenges due to his physical disability.
She picked up the wheelchair at the Society of Physically Handicapped People in Gaza City.
Anera recently distributed the wheelchair and hundreds more like it to the Society thanks to a generous donation of the equipment from the Wheelchair Foundation. High quality modern wheelchairs are hard to come by in Gaza, and those that are available are too expensive for most families.
This shipment will mean a significant improvement in quality of life for hundreds of people in Gaza. Donations of new wheelchairs for importation into Gaza are rare, making this delivery an important advance for people with disabilities. For the first time, Anera has received a shipment of 275 brand new wheelchairs, along with spare parts.
“This is an important shipment, and having a new donor like Wheelchair Foundation is a dream come true after trying for years to find a wheelchair donor,” Ahmad El-Najjar, Anera’s medical donations program officer in Gaza says.
In recognition of the shipment’s significance, Anera and the Society commemorated the occasion with a special ceremony, bringing together staff and members of the community that is benefiting from the wheelchairs.
Um Bashar says caring for her adult child without a wheelchair has been very difficult. She has two other sons who also face hereditary motor disabilities. "My son cannot move or walk. He can't even go to the bathroom on his own.”
Bashar lives with a genetic condition affecting his muscles, which, since he was 14, has progressively paralyzed him.
"Having a new donor like Wheelchair Foundation is a dream come true after trying for years to find a wheelchair donor."
She has been looking for a suitable wheelchair for Bashar for years. "I have been striving to provide a wheelchair that would fit his condition and help him move. We had an old one, but it broke down, and since then I have been doing everything I can to find another."
Like most families in Gaza, Um Bashar, her ill husband and their five children have financial struggles that make it extremely challenging to afford the $300+ needed to buy a wheelchair.
"We can hardly scrape together a living to get by each day. The price of a wheelchair is just too expensive for us," she says.
With his new wheelchair and increased mobility, Bashar will be able to perform some tasks on his own and seek out more social interactions.
“My son’s situation will improve psychologically, and I will be able to help him more.”
Adham, a 41-year-old father of six, also came to the Society to receive a wheelchair. He is thrilled to have the new wheelchair after relying on a worn-out one for years.
"I spent two full years going to associations and institutions to look for support to provide me with a good wheelchair, but to no avail," Adham says. "The old wheelchair was very cumbersome, and my mother repaired it more than once. But it is damaged now."
Adham lost three of his limbs during an Israeli raid in 2006, leaving him unable to work and provide for his family.
Since that time, he has completely lost his ability to move and is unable to work or provide for his family. He now lives with his extended family, who take care of him and his children. Conditions are difficult.
"I spent two full years... look[ing] for... a good wheelchair.”
“I’d like to thank the donors for their great efforts in providing the wheelchair,” Adham says while sitting on his new chair.
Adham’s mother, Um Adham, accompanies him everywhere. She expresses her delight in seeing her son receive a wheelchair that fits his needs after their long struggle to find one.
"I can’t believe my eyes — we came here without a wheelchair, and now here we are with an excellent wheelchair that's very convenient for movement. Our suffering is finally over."
"I hope to provide more moral and material support for my son and for everyone in a similar condition. He was never able to move in his old wheelchair," Adham’s mother says.
She says that because wheelchair users depend entirely on the tool for movement and mobility, the wheelchair is like ‘a breath of life’ for people with disabilities.
You can make a difference.
A wheelchair does more than provide patients like Bashar and Adham with newfound mobility—it gives them a new sense of hope, comfort, and an increased quality of life. Your donation can have a life-changing impact on someone like Bashar or Adham. Please consider donating today.
Gaza
Gaza City Governorate
In 1984, Anera’s Gaza City office opened with three staff members. It is still at the same location today, but with 17 staff members. From that location, the team manages water and sanitation, education, healthcare, economic development, and humanitarian relief projects throughout Gaza.
