50 Kwania PWDs Receive Wheelchairs in Shs103 Million Donation Fifty people with disabilities (PWDs) in Kwania District have received wheelchairs worth Shs103 million in a donation aimed at improving their mobility, access to essential services and livelihoods. The wheelchairs were donated by OJ Care Foundation, a Soroti-based non-governmental organisation, in partnership with Chair the Love, a United States-based charity.
The beneficiaries were drawn from all sub-counties and town councils in the district. While handing over the assistive devices on Thursday, Julius Opoi, Team Leader at OJ Care Foundation, said the donation is intended to restore mobility and improve the quality of life of people living with disabilities. He said the 50 wheelchairs distributed in Kwania are part of a consignment of 260 wheelchairs that the organisation plans to distribute across five districts in Uganda.
Opoi urged district leaders to make public facilities more accessible by installing ramps in offices, schools, health centres and other public buildings to enable wheelchair users to move independently and fully benefit from the donation.
Moses Opio, who represented the Kwania District Community Development Officer, said the district has been grappling with an acute shortage of assistive devices despite growing demand. He noted that due to limited funding, the Community Development Department had managed to procure and distribute only one wheelchair and one white cane over the past year.
Kwania District Principal Assistant Secretary Nicholas Akwang encouraged the beneficiaries to use the improved mobility to engage in income-generating activities, educate their children and improve their household livelihoods.
Kwania Assistant Resident District Commissioner Ceasar Obada and District NRM Chairperson Nelson Sadam Abili commended Kwania Woman MP Kenny Auma and former Kwania North MP Bob Okae for supporting efforts to secure the donation regardless of political affiliation. Auma said lobbying for the wheelchairs began in 2024 and pledged to continue mobilising support to secure more assistive devices for people with disabilities in the district. She noted that although the district had requested 100 wheelchairs, the 50 received would significantly improve the lives of beneficiaries across all sub-counties and town councils.
Beneficiaries welcomed the donation, saying it would transform their lives. Benancio Abili, a resident of Inomo Town Council, said the wheelchair would free him from isolation, improve his access to healthcare, and enable him to engage in productive activities.
Stella Akello, a Primary Four pupil at Acenwloro Primary School in Atongtidi Sub-county, said she had been forced to crawl to school and other public places because she lacked a mobility aid. She expressed hope that the wheelchair would enable her to attend school regularly, go to church, and move around independently. According to the Ministry of Health, an estimated 12.4 percent of Ugandans live with some form of disability, but only about two percent have access to assistive technology services such as wheelchairs, crutches, and white canes, leaving the majority without the support they need to move independently and participate fully in society-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
