2020 Gumbo Final - Book - Page 65
March, and Living With Hope has collected over 400
wheelchairs so far.
Wheelchairs are sometimes donated by churches and
schools, but pediatric wheelchairs are harder to find,
and usually have to be bought new. In Kenya, the cost
of a pediatric wheelchair is $270, and the cost of a
shipping container is $11,000. Only the upper class or
those with connections can afford the exorbitant prices.
Living With Hope is currently accepting wheelchair and
monetary donations to pay for pediatric wheelchairs.
There will also soon be opportunities for interested
volunteers to join Mayen and the team of physical
therapists and mechanics on service trips.
Mayen said he has been in contact with the University,
and hopes to start a program for engineering students
to design specialized wheelchairs that can maneuver
rugged landscapes.
“I would love to build a factory there and produce
wheelchairs,” Mayen said. “There could be a special
type of ‘LSU Wheelchair.’”
An estimated 35 million people in Africa are in need
of wheelchairs, according to the Living With Hope
website. Mayen said he hopes to eventually spread his
work to other areas of Africa besides Kenya, and that
the people of Kenya may be able to start building and
distributing wheelchairs themselves.
“I just want to let these people know that they are
special and you can be somebody in life,” Mayen said.
“That is hope right there.”
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