Khongsady smiles as his mother places him in his new wheelchair. Before, he could only crawl or have his mother carry him.

FEUNGNOY, Laos – On a sunny afternoon in his small village in Laos, 10-year-old Khongsady is playing tag with his big sister, Aonaun.

Weaving up and down the street, he chases her until finally, he catches up to her and tags her out.

Just a little while ago, this small victory would never have been possible for Khongsady. Stricken with polio when he was just an infant, his legs are paralyzed.

The only way Khongsady could move around was if his mother or sister carried him—or if he crawled. But today, he can go everywhere his sister can—thanks to his new wheelchair.

Through a partnership between Operation Blessing and Free Wheelchair Mission, Khongsady was one of hundreds of disabled men, women and children who received a wheelchair at a recent distribution in his village.

Click here to help Operation Blessing and Free Wheelchair Mission provide wheelchairs to the disabled!

Since 2005, Operation Blessing has distributed over 57 shipping containers of wheelchairs in more than nine countries, bringing the gift of mobility to thousands of people in places like Peru, India, Ukraine, Cambodia and Laos.

Each wheelchair is inexpensively manufactured from premade parts like plastic lawn chairs, mountain bike tires, and foam seat cushions. The chair was designed to be shipped as individual components that can be easily and efficiently packed into standard international shipping containers, which can carry enough parts to make 550 wheelchairs.

The result is an affordable and easily distributed wheelchair—and one that costs Operation Blessing just $65 each.

But for children like Khongsady, and the many other disabled people whose lives have been changed by this chair, what it really means is freedom.

Grateful that his wheelchair eases the burden on his mother and sister, Khongsady said, “I’m looking forward to not being carried anymore.”

After a lifetime of watching his sister run off and play, he can finally join in the fun.

Smiling with pride as he wheeled circles around his sister, Khongsady said he wants to wish the generous donors who helped provide his new wheelchair, “Happiness forever.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI and Free Wheelchair Mission’s efforts to give the gift of mobility to disabled men, women and children around the world. With a gift of just $65, you can provide a wheelchair to someone like Khongsady. Make an online contribution now.

 

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