The Wings Aloft Kenya 2023 team of 16 members comprised of Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and aspiring therapists.  We joined our host, BethanyKids Team, and one of their partners, Health Touch Foundation, to provide wheelchairs in several locations around Kenya. 

This group of 28 traveled together to Joytown Boarding School, Kijabe Hospital, Ubuntu School, Magadi (and its surrounding area to serve nomadic tribal communities), and Bishop Kariuki Training Center (ACK). Over the course of two weeks, the team assessed over 100 people (mainly children) and provided each with a wheelchair free of charge, thanks to donations from many generous individuals and organizations.  Each person/family had a team of therapists, wheelchair technicians, interpreters, and a chaplain to assess mobility, positioning, and spiritual needs.  Once an assessment was completed, a wheelchair was built, the person was positioned in the wheelchair, adjustments were made to the wheelchair frame and seating system, and education was provided to the person and their caregiver(s) about the new equipment and how to use it appropriately. 

In addition to providing wheelchairs, the team performed multiple follow-ups for wheelchairs provided by the BethanyKids Team over the past year, and wheelchair repairs were completed as needed.  Follow-ups with the families served during our May 2023 trip will be performed by the AT Team from BethanyKids periodically throughout the year.

 Joytown Boarding School

Serendipitous Encounter with Daniel 

One team member, Hailey, met Daniel the first time in March 2022 on our first trip to Kenya. Daniel was riding around on a skateboard and was such a happy kid. He was trying to get into school, but needed a wheelchair in order to do so. There happened to be an extra wheelchair that we fit him with. This allowed him to get up off the ground and have better positioning for his back and legs. He was a natural at propelling himself around (click here to learn more about Daniel’s story). 

During our recent trip in May 2023, Hailey was completing assessments for several kids in Joytown (the same location where we met Daniel in 2022). Hailey’s group went down to a different area of the school where someone needed a wheelchair  fitting. Once there, Hailey unexpectedly saw Daniel come out of the doorway and around the corner. She was so shocked to see him and asked if his name was Daniel to make sure it was really him. He said yes and crawled right up in her lap. She asked if he was still using his wheelchair and he pointed to his pink chair with a big smile on his face. He is now enrolled at the school he was previously trying to get into and had a way to get around with more independence.

Partnering with the Health Touch Foundation (HTF) in the Magadi area working with members of the Masai tribe

The team worked from sun up until sun down (by flashlights and the Jeep headlights) finishing up the work we began with the families.

Transportation of wheelchairs with the families is always a challenge, however this group found some creative ways to get their new wheelchair home by placing the wheelchair on the taxi motorbike.

At the end of our time in Magadi, one of the teachers at the Entasopia school, where we were working, planted a tree in honor of the impact Wings Aloft made on this community. 

ACK Diocese of Mt. Kenya South–Bishop Kariuki Training Center

We arrived at our last location, the Bishop Kariuki Training Center, knowing we had a daunting task ahead of us – we were scheduled to provide 75 wheelchairs (our largest group in one day).  Providing a wheelchair from assessment to final fitting can easily take 1-2 hours and we wanted to be sure we gave each person (children and adults) and their families our best. We ended up providing and fitting 60 wheelchairs and 2 walkers that day! The name of the game:  ORGANIZATION and TEAMWORK.

To add to the challenge, an organization from an outlying community heard about the wheelchair clinic going on at the Training Center and showed up with a bus full of people who were in need of mobility devices.  They had traveled for several hours.  Their arrival was unexpected and added to a schedule already bursting at the seams–but how could we turn them away?  Some of the people on the bus had to be carried off the bus.  When that was not feasible, members of our team jumped on the bus and did assessments “on location”.  

At one point we realized that we had more people than we had wheelchairs.  As the team worked together, learning from each other and jumping in where needed, we soon realized it would be necessary to refer people to the BethanyKids Assistive Technology Clinic at Kijabe Hospital to be assessed and receive wheelchairs.  

But…sometimes when therapists are assessing a child for a wheelchair, they realize the child may have something that no one else noticed previously – untapped skills.  We were excited and amazed when one of the young children did not need a wheelchair, but could use a walker!  (click to see video)

In this same wheelchair outreach at Bishop Kariuki Training Center we met John, a young man of 17 with severe cerebral palsy, who had never had a wheelchair.  His mother carried him on her back wherever he needed to go.  He could not sit up by himself and had multiple deformities making it difficult for him to eat, digest, and breathe.  With his multiple needs, even the specialized wheelchairs we were providing would not work for him.  Thankfully, BethanyKids has creative ways to make customized, molded seating systems (think stiff, molded bean bag).  With this specialized seating system in a wheelchair frame, John is able to be well-supported in a comfortable sitting position. The adequate structural supports also help slow the progression of his deformities, allow him to eat with a reduced risk of choking, and support his body so his internal organs are better aligned and will function more easily. Most importantly his mom will no longer have to carry him on her back!  Having this appropriate wheelchair will improve the lives of both John and his mother.