Posted on 03/25/2009 4:01:07 PM PDT by SandRat
Capt. Jesse Stewart, a Troop commander with the 82nd Airborne Division, carries a disabled Iraqi girl in the Rusafa District of eastern Baghdad, March 23. The girl’s mother carried her daughter for two miles before almost collapsing near the wheelchair distribution site. Courtesy photo.
BAGHDAD — Eighty-two Iraqi kids found a new reason to smile, thanks to efforts from Iraqi National Police (NP) officers and U.S. Paratroopers in the Rusafa district here, March 23.
Dubbed ‘Operation Enhanced Mobility’, the 2nd NP Division officers and 82nd Airborne Division Soldiers presented new wheelchairs to disabled children during a humanitarian effort in the northeast section of the city.
The wheelchairs, donated by ‘Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids,’ are adjustable and designed for growing children. Officials said that unlike low-quality wheelchairs, which often do not fit a person correctly, these wheelchairs will adjust with the child’s growth thus allowing the chairs to be used for several years.
Brad Blauser, founder of Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, said individuals and organizations in the U.S. donated the funding that made the delivery of pediatric wheelchairs possible.
More than half of the wheelchairs donated during the day were funded by 10-year-old Ben Werdegar, of Woodside, Calif.
“Ben decided he would play his guitar and raise money for the Iraqi children on the streets of San Francisco,” said Blauser. “Since that time, Ben has played most weekends for more than 52 weeks, raising over $13,000 to help the children of Iraq. He deserves a huge amount of recognition for his commitment and dedication in helping disabled Iraqi kids.” Ben heard about the program online in February 2008 and decided he wanted to help the children of Iraq.
Blauser founded the organization in 2005 at the request of military officials in the city of Mosul after Soldiers observed children dragging themselves on the ground due to birth defects and disease, and has since given away more than 800 wheelchairs all over Iraq.
The wheelchairs, designed by ROC Wheels in Bozeman, Mont., are designed for rough terrain. Each wheelchair is valued at $3,500 and funded entirely through donations. The U.S. government ships the wheelchairs to Blauser overseas for free.
“This was an excellent opportunity to show the population how the government of Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces are working together to provide for the people they represent and protect,” said Capt. Jesse Stewart, 73rd Cavalry Regiment.
Blauser hopes he can start to manufacture the wheelchairs in Iraq in order to help more disabled children and help the local economy. Blauser said that making the chairs locally is important; shipping them from the U.S and getting them on the ground in Iraq can take around four to six months.
“I can only distribute a few hundred wheelchairs per year because of limited manufacturing capacity,” said the Dallas native. “This is why it's so important to get manufacturing going locally if I'm really going to make significant progress in Iraq in helping disabled kids get the wheelchairs they need.”
Blauser added his goal is to produce 50,000 wheelchairs over the next five years to give to needy children in the Baghdad area. The long-term goal is to have every disabled child in Iraq provided with a free pediatric wheelchair, regardless of their ability to pay.
The combined forces plan to donate additional wheelchairs to needy children in the weeks to come.
BUMP
As an alternative, the chairs could be shipped as parts and assembled there. Either way would accrue many benefits.
Great program!
Great story!
Pity we don’t think to start manufacturing them here and create lots of jobs. We’d be doing a good deed and finding a way to make a good living.
Same thing with the drug problem in Afghanistan, we could buy the opium and turn them into painkillers.
Am I the only person with ideas here(q)
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