New life in Nigeria 2024 Wheels for the World blog

Our Wheels for the World team in the UK helped support the distribution of life-changing mobility aids to many disabled people in Lagos and Delta State, Nigeria, in March/April 2024.

Over 80 million disabled people worldwide need a wheelchair but don’t have the money or opportunity to buy one (WHO). Wheels for the World seeks to change that situation by refurbishing disused wheelchairs from donors in the UK, including the NHS, making them as-new. The chairs are then shipped overseas and therapists fit them to individuals' needs.

Bringing freedom

In March 2024, we partnered with the charity Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation Nigeria whose therapists fitted local disabled people with appropriate equipment. Over 200 mobility aids and 140 wheelchairs were distributed, which had been refurbished in our UK Wheels for the World warehouse. Our UK team of therapists and techies were available online to support the remote distribution. Many of the disabled people had never had a wheelchair before, or were using old or broken equipment that was not fit for purpose.

The team also gave out 250 Bibles to individuals - giving spiritual as well as physical freedom to all. It was such a blessed event. Disabled individuals ranging from age 2 to over 50 years old were given equipment to rejuvenate their lives and empower them for a more positive way of living.

The supported Wheels for the World distribution was organised by Tarela Aghanti, Director and Founder of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation Nigeria (OIF Nigeria). Tarela led the local team on the ground, sending stories and images of the many lives changed for the better on the mission. Here are just a few of the stories she shared about the impact of this work.

Modupe Cole Memorial Childcare Home

A group of Nigerian people wearing party hats, including lots of children in wheelchairs The mission team visited one of the oldest children’s homes in Lagos, the Modupe Cole Memorial Childcare & Treatment Home School. They were able to present 19 wheelchairs, 5 crutches, 4 walking sticks, 3 tri-walkers and 1 walking frame - along with stationery items as well as food and clothing. The children were so excited at the gifts and were dancing and filled with joy. The experience was not all positive however, as the team found the facilities at the home showed a great need for investment in equipment and more opportunities for the children to interact with others and learn/develop. We pray that the local government and community will recognise the need to support and encourage these disabled children. We were glad to be able to bring them some gifts and showed that people care about their needs.

‘Special Eagles’ Amputee Football Team

Disability affects us all, including sports people. Tarela from OIF Nigeria was contacted by the 'Special Eagles' amputee football team who represent the whole of Nigeria, asking if they could receive mobility equipment to help them compete in football matches. So the mission team found themselves in contrasting surroundings, moving from a children's home to the giant National Stadium! The captain of the amputee football team, Sarafadeen Oyeleke, said: A group of people in a big football stadium, including amputee players holding crutches

"I extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous donation of pairs of crutches to twenty amputee players, both male and female. Your timely gesture has provided essential support that is invaluable to our team. The significance of these crutches cannot be overstated. They are not merely tools for mobility, they are fundamental to our ability to participate in amputee football. Your generosity will undoubtedly motivate and inspire our team as we prepare for the African Amputee Nations Cup in Egypt.”

Meet Perry

It was a positive atmosphere at the wheelchair distribution in Lagos, Nigeria. Perry, the youngest of the wheelchair recipients, has a brittle bone condition. He did not have a wheelchair, so had to be carried everywhere.

His mother, Mrs Sekinat, said: "Perry was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) also know as brittle bone disease: a condition that causes the bone to fracture or break easily. I wasn't aware of my son's condition until I had a scan at 7th month of his pregnancy, then the sonographer told me my son's limbs are short that he is likely to have Dwarfism. When I gave birth to him (normal delivery), his legs were bowed. I think he fractured when I gave birth to him, as I carried him home and he cried often - then his hand was swollen like the bone was broken."

Mrs Sekinat was full of joy as she pushed her son home, strapped into his new chair. Perry's was dancing with excitement at getting his own wheelchair!

Thank you, Mr Friday!

Mr Friday is the chairman of the committee for people with disability in the Ika Local Government in Agbor Delta State and is himself disabled. He’s a real Roofbreaker disability champion for the needs of disabled people in his local area. On this occasion, it was Mr Friday's turn to receive support, which he so often arranges for others.

We gifted Mr Friday some crutches - much-needed mobility equipment, which is always easy to get hold of in Delta State, where UK citizens are advised not to travel. Our local partners OIF Nigeria (https://www.facebook.com/oifnigeria.org) were thankfully able to reach people and distribute the wheelchairs and mobility aids we had refurbished, so they can bless communities who need it, like those in Delta State - restoring dignity and hope for disabled people.

Meet Dare

Meet Dare, aged 30, from Lagos, Nigeria - whose life is transformed through the gift of a wheelchair. Dare is a graduate of Biology Education who came to the Lagos wheelchair distribution to find help so he could continue his studies. He says: A young Nigerian man sat in a wheelchair, smiling, holding a Bible

"I am living with cerebral palsy as occasioned from birth. Its been very challenging growing and having to go through my day to day activities. It really has been traumatising for knowing I can't lead a normal day to day life like my peers. Academically, it was frustrating because there were no specialised centres where I could write my entry examination. As a result I couldn't score the required mark to study my preferred course Medicine and Surgery.

"Today, I feel a gap has been filled up with this gift of a wheelchair. Because before now I have been contemplating how to raise funds to repair my old dilapidated wheelchair.

I want to use this opportunity to thank all the people involved in making this possible. I am gratified to have a new wheelchair because now I can move from point a to point b, without the worry or fear that the tyres of my wheelchair would go bad that may result in a mishap."

Could you bring physical and spiritual freedom to someone like Dare with a gift of £50 (or £4 a month) to provide a wheelchair & Bible?

- Please visit our Through the Roof page on Just Giving at https://www.justgiving.com/ttr (and put ‘Wheels sponsor’ as a reference in the Message box).

Many lives can be transformed.

Please do pray for Through the Roof and OIF Nigeria (and the international OIF Network it is part of: https://oifn.org/ ) as we seek to show God's abundant love to disabled people. Praise God for a blessed mission that will impact the communities positively for many years to come.