Wheels for the World in Rwanda

Wheels for the World enables the distribution of life-changing mobility aids to many disabled people: on this mission, it was in Nyagatare and Kayonza in Rwanda.

Over 80 million disabled people worldwide need a wheelchair but don’t have the money or opportunity to buy one (WHO). That's why our Wheels for the World team in the UK refurbish disused wheelchairs, making them as-new. The chairs are then shipped overseas and volunteer therapists fit them professionally to meet individuals' needs. 

Here, our correspondent Peter and photographer Jan share stories and news from the Rwanda mission in 2024. A team of trained local and UK volunteers have been transforming lives with gifts of wheelchairs and mobility aids to disabled people who need them...

Blog 1: Arrival and preparation 

And so we came together: united, yet a long way from the places we each called ‘home’. Our journeys brought us as volunteers from many countries.

Hearts brimming with belief in our mission with Wheels for the World in Rwanda. We were assured of our God’s guidance for what lay ahead in service of many others far less fortunate than ourselves. 

Rwanda is a country which experienced one of the most horrific genocidal conflicts ever witnessed yet, today, represents one of the most remarkable ‘rebirths’ of any country in human history. One might justifiably use the term ‘resurrection’. 

It is this kind of spirit and resilience which made such a rebirth possible, so we felt certain of seeing it living in the hearts and minds of those we meet on this mission with Wheels for the World in Rwanda.

Stepping out in faith

As we often experience when carrying out God’s work, challenges emerged with unforeseen delays in the arrival of our large shipment of wheelchairs and other disability aids. 

Yet, despite the immense difficulties clearly evident in such a journey from the UK, all praise to God for answering our prayers and clearing the many obstacles to their safe and timely delivery. 

It was indeed a most joyous celebration on seeing our container at the school premises that our local Rwandan partners and host, FH Rwanda, had arranged as one of two mission ‘headquarters’. 

Even then, however, the unsealing and full release of our consignment as we required, we needed to send one of our team, together with our local partners, to the Ugandan border to personally pick up a senior customs official and bring him to officially unseal and release our consignment. 

Preparing and praying

Praise be indeed and with the help of our hosts and a wonderful team of local volunteers, we enthusiastically offloaded, sorted and stored our chairs and other aids and laid out our reception, storage, treatment rooms and pastoral care areas to ensure we were fully prepared to serve and help change many lives the following day. 

And, as we know from our extensive experience in conducting these missions, it is not just the recipient lives that are transformed with the donation of wheelchairs, etc. but importantly their families lives as well. 

For now may we just say that we feel truly blessed to be undertaking this mission to Rwanda and fully prepared now  to succeed in every aspect.

We hope you enjoy reading about the mission to improve the lives of so many disabled men, women and children, achieved with God’s continuing guidance and blessings, and the unwavering help and encouragement of our donors and supporters. 

 

Blog 2: First two days in Nyagatare

With all our efforts on the previous day in preparing our wheelchair storage, registration, technician and treatment areas, our team felt confident about our readiness for the task ahead in Nyagatare. However, a huge storm with torrential rain in the middle of the night before that woke all of us caused real concern as to what effect that may have had on the condition of the Umutara Deaf School grounds and buildings - the first of two locations selected for our mission - and how this might affect the journey our recipients needed to take to reach us. From our experience this could often be lengthy and arduous for those significantly disabled, even at the best of times.

So there was a collective sigh of relief, and much gratitude expressed to our Lord in prayer, when we arrived to find the school relatively unaffected, the sun breaking through and a significant group of people and their families eagerly awaiting our arrival. And what a first day it was !!

As the crowd of people waiting grew it quickly became apparent that many more than the thirty who were actually registered had attended - some arriving prior to their actual registration day and many others who had learnt of our presence and simply arrived in the hope of being treated. This of course placed the team and our local partners, FOH Rwanda, in a very difficult position. It was agreed that our partners prioritise those who were registered and convey this to the crowd. It was a difficult and emotional moment for everyone.

 

Stories of lives transformed

On these kinds of mission trips it is always both impressive and heartwarming to witness the extent of collaboration and teamwork on display between our physiotherapists, the technicians and our interpreters when assessing each recipients' needs and customising the type of aid and equipment each person or child required.

This teamwork was never more evident than with 24 year old Yvonne whose needs proved one of the more complex cases we would encounter. She was born with congenital cerebral palsy, unable to even crawl or feed herself. She won our hearts with her warmth, her immense gratitude and her ever present, beautiful smile that could light up entire rooms. Her family expressed how she could now attend church, reconnect with friends and generally experience a new dimension to her life.

And then there was Joyce who could only 'shuffle' her way to our registration and assessment areas on her hands and knees - the way she had for her entire 23 years due to the way her legs had grown. Hers was the expression of pleading, of hope that this day would be the day her difficult life changed for the better - and change it would, with the wheelchair we provided. Joyce expressed how she looked forward to greater independence but also being able to participate in more family life - a 'win win' outcome !

It was dark and almost 7pm when we finished that day, with us hurriedly searching for light bulbs and, on the lengthy journey back to our hotel, we wearily reflected on the day and what might lay ahead of us tomorrow.

Another busy day

The following day we were unable to start until 11am due to a wonderful Government initiative called Umuganda where, on the last Saturday of each month, every citizen in Rwanda is expected to contribute to tidying up their communities in various ways - something Rwandans take very seriously. Imagine trying to introduce that anywhere in the UK! However, this put considerable added pressure on the team to be able to assess and treat what was an even larger group of men, women and children than the previous day - but in far less time. 

A highlight of the day, however, was the arrival and stirring speech by the Deputy Mayor of the district, Juliette, who announced herself with the biggest, prolonged bear hug Kathy had ever experienced, spoke at length to the crowd and sang the praises of Through the Roof with everyone present applauding warmly.

But it was soon back to the mission where a shocking story presented itself through 45 year old Moses who was the victim of a random shooting five years earlier, whilst on his way to a wedding, which tragically left him quadraplegic due to spinal cord damage. Our therapist, Jill, with the help of our technicians, spent two hours customising a wheelchair for Moses which became the object of great celebration as he left to return home.

Then there was Celestia, an 82 year old farmer who was a double leg amputee who was no longer participating in his family's farm business. His entire demeanour changed dramatically as he contemplated his newly found mobility and the lessening of the burden on his four sons, all made possible by the wheelchair through the generosity of our donors.

And Danier, just 6 years old, whose legs were tragically damaged in a terrible car accident and whose left leg had to be amputated, leaving him only able to crawl everywhere and whose mother could not thank our team enough for the wheelchair he was given. 

All of the people we treat remind us of something that can easily be overlooked - that the help, the expertise and the equipment we provide greatly improves not just the recipients life, but the quality of their families lives as well. There are direct consequences of the greater independence and mobility a wheelchair brings: the lessening of the burden on family members and the improvement in the mindset and demeanor of them and their loved ones.

Over two long days in Nyagatare we treated over one hundred men, women and children - in fact thirty six of them were children.

Yes, we were weary, but what wonderful rewards come from doing God's work! Our weariness was soon forgotten, knowing that, with His abundant blessings and guidance, and the wonderful support and loyalty of our followers and donors, our work will and must continue.

Blog 3: Church... but not as we know it!

At the conclusion of our time in Nyagatare, we had been invited to attend as guests at the local church, The Reformed Baptist Convention in Rwanda, on the following day. It was the first visit to Rwanda for all members of the team so we had no knowledge of what to expect.

Our local partners, FH Rwanda, had advised us that the Government had recently ordered the closure of a large number of churches for failing to meet established standards. For example, their leadership personnel not having appropriate qualifications to lead a church or failing to install sufficient sound proofing in their service areas, as well as other criteria. While we were somewhat surprised at the soundproofing standard, it was soon to become very clear to us as to why an emphasis had been placed on this... The music was very loud!

Dancing in the joy of the Lord!

As we stepped out of our vehicle in the church car park there was the expected keen interest in our presence from those still making their way into the church. However, it was the sights and sounds of what awaited us inside that we all agreed later was an experience that would stay with us forever. As we took our seats in the specially prepared area, a palpable wave of emotion seemed to wash over us at what we were witnessing.

The church was large but already almost full to capacity, partly due to the closure of so many other churches mentioned earlier, and The Reformed Baptist Church had actively welcomed all of those affected to their new spiritual 'home''. This meeting in God's name, and in greater numbers than ever before, together with the renowned African love of music, rhythm and dancing, came together to produce the most amazing service any of us had witnessed, and perhaps never would again.

Such was the sheer scale and depth of the spiritual energy on display, it is difficult to find the words to fully capture the experience. However, think vitality, vigour, fervour, exuberance and a seemingly unquenchable zest for God, as a start! All of these things, together with the raw energy, the stirring music and the dancing, which extended to every corner and aisle of the church, provided a truly unique and unforgettable experience.

Blessings abound

There was also a memorable surprise for the team, and therapist Jill in particular, to see that a recipient who Jill had treated just the day before, called Appofie, was in the congregation. Appofie had been unable to attend church for a prolonged period of time but, with the wheelchair we provided, she was there at the first possible opportunity... truly glowing with happiness and delighted to see Jill and the team there as well. However, not only did she attend the entire service, Appofie also joined her old choir onstage and was singing her heart out. What joy!

Throughout the three and a half hour service, we were treated to several of the church choirs singing beautifully as well as an address by Kathy, our leader, on the background, vision and mission of Through the Roof. Finally Nigel, our deputy leader, who was also one of our technicians and our pastoral support person, spoke very well in presenting a reflective pastoral message - both Kathy's and Nigel's talks being wonderfully interpreted into the local language by our local volunteer, Gilbert.

As the service came to a close, there was the expected, somewhat frenetic interest in us as crowds gathered around, both inside and outside the church. When we were eventually able to leave, our wonderful, new experience was the subject of much discussion and reflection throughout the remainder of the day.

Praise the Lord for this most wonderful opportunity to witness, and be part of, such an outpouring of love and devotion for you, your ministry on earth and your guiding hand for the people of Rwanda. 

Blog 4: Final three days in Kayonza

After the team's final day at Nyagatare, our local partners arranged for all of our remaining wheelchairs and other aids to be transported to our second location in Rwanda: The Deaf and Blind School in Kayonza.

Without doubt this was a huge undertaking, so it was with some trepidation that we arrived at the school the following morning. And what a source of delight it turned out to be. Our local partners, had done a truly wonderful job of preparing everything necessary for the days ahead of us.

There were, as usual, a number of people waiting for us to arrive but, thanks to that excellent preparation, we were able to quickly begin registrations whilst the number of people needing our help grew rapidly. 

As is often the case on missions such as this, emotions ran high in every respect. Across three memorable days at Kayonza, in hot conditions, we treated 126 people: each one unique in their life journey and the circumstances surrounding their disability.

Stories of lives transformed in Kayonza

For example, we met 69-year-old Musoni who was a teacher before an accident caused multiple disabilities, after which his wife left him. Despite his many difficulties, he had left home at 5am so that he could reach our centre at 9am, such was his determination to receive our help. And help we did with a wheelchair that Musoni explained was going to greatly improve his quality of life as well as lessen the burden on his four children.

Then there was 16-year-old Theogene who after a sickness was unable to walk and who's father had left his mother some time ago. Theogene's mother then abandoned him - another heart wrenching story. Fortunately, his neighbour, who already had three children of his own, has cared for Theogene ever since. We were able to provide the right wheelchair for his needs and enjoyed hearing that this now made it possible for him to attend school and work towards a better life in the future.

Another person who was brimming with enthusiasm for the huge difference his new chair would make to his life was 15-year-old Sanctrine who had been born without tibia bones in his legs and who had to have both legs amputated at just 9 years old and whose parents were unable to afford prosthetic legs.

We also provided mobility equipment for 37-year-old Claude who's parents were both killed during the horrific genocide of 1994 when he was just 7 years old. So life had already been very difficult for Claude but then an accident whilst he was working in the mines caused him serious spinal injuries which left him unable to walk.

Of course there were so many more stories: far too many to mention here. We can't help but reflect on just where the people we help find the strength, the resilience, to keep going, even when at the lowest point in their lives. We have learnt from the missions we have conducted over the years that the answer for so many is their faith in God which sustains them: His grace, His loving counsel, His heart for the disabled and disadvantaged.

Your prayers and support are vital

None of the support Through the Roof provides. none of the thousands of lives we have been privileged to touch over so many years in carrying out God's work, would be possible if not for the compassion of our donors. So may we once again extend our heartfelt thanks. We hope both our followers and donors alike have enjoyed our reflections, our experiences and our stories from Rwanda.