Uganda 2010

In June, Through the Roof's Wheels for the World programme made its first wheelchair distribution trip to Uganda.

Working in partnership with RILD (Response Initiative for Learning Disabilities), over 100 wheelchairs were individually fitted and 183 bibles given out, along with other mobility aids and hand-crafted blankets.

The team felt this trip to be special in so many ways, not least because the airline strike resulted in them being able to see disabled people who otherwise would have missed out.

One team member described their 'special moment':

"I find it immensely humbling and moving to see the change in people that had been arriving walking on their knees, or being carried... When leaving (in their wheelchairs) the people are sitting at eye level, and you can almost see a visible change in their outlook on life, and also in the way that they are perceived by others. One in particular that sticks in my mind is an older brother who was eventually given a wheelchair, and was joined at the assessment by his mother and younger sister. When seated, it was the first time for years that his sister had naturally communicated with him at eye level, and this seemed to have a noticeable impact on the way that he was regarded by the sister and no doubt by many others."