The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 1,125 wheelchairs to the Al Hussein Society in Amman, Jordan, a June 13 news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org reports. While the Church has previously sent various disability aids to the Middle East, this shipment uniquely included 300 specialized pediatric wheelchairs to improve the quality of life for Jordanian children in need.
The Al Hussein Society has long supported orphaned, disabled and impoverished children in Jordan, successfully providing schooling and therapy to thousands of children across the country. The Church’s specialized wheelchair donation will primarily assist children in the society’s programs who have advanced congenital disorders such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida.
To ensure chairs are calibrated to fit the needs of each child, Annette Myers, a pediatric physical therapist, and her mechanical engineer husband, Mark Myers, from Salt Lake City, contributed their expertise to the project.
Over the course of five days, they trained the Al Hussein Society’s experienced therapists and technicians on how to measure, assess, prescribe, fit and assemble wheelchairs tailored to each child’s requirements. They were joined by Mark and Georgia Anderson, technical specialists for the Church’s wheelchair program in the Middle East, who assisted in the organization and training.
During the training, the teams collaborated to minister to and fit the first nine children into their own wheelchairs.
“It was touching to watch the parents’ faces as they shared their children’s joy,” noted a Latter-day Saint volunteer living in Amman. “They were all so very grateful for the new wheelchairs.”
Annette Myers shared: “This is a population that can’t sit by themselves, so we see almost immediately how a properly fitted supportive chair increases each child’s ability to interact with their families and with the world around them. It is delightful to see their lives improve so dramatically.”
Mai Alramahi, director of the rehabilitation program at Al Hussein Society, stated, “When we worked together to help the children, we could see the happiness and joy of each child as they were properly fitted in their specialized chair.” Her team will fit the remaining wheelchairs for hundreds of other children.
