My wheelchair gives me the freedom to do everything I want. - Mama Lena, Senegal

Over the summer our team worked alongside trusted local networks to deliver forty ‘Wildebeest’ Wheelchairs and one Paediatric Wheelchair to individuals from rural and underserved communities in Senegal and The Gambia.

The ‘Wildebeest’ is an all terrain chair created by Participant, whose focus is affordable, durable and high quality mobility products which are accessible to everyone. This model is customisable to the user, easily maintained with popular bike and motorcycle parts and designed with use outdoors in mind.

Selection was made based on strict eligibility criteria with a particular focus on full time use, current access to a chair and geographical location. Team members visited each potential recipient personally and performed a clinical assessment before a final allocation meeting where selection was decided by the Diam Rek team.

We delivered wheelchairs to 41 individuals across over 20 rural villages, with an indirect impact on 328 family members (calculation based on the average household size of 8 in Senegal and The Gambia reported by the United Nations Digital Library System in 2017).[1] We provided chairs to 9 young people now able to attend school and 8 first time users who now have a reduced risk of pressure sores, cuts and infections. In interviews 21 beneficiaries specifically mentioned using their chairs for work and income generation.

The majority of our wheelchair provision took place over the course of six events organised in partnership with local disability groups. During these events we conducted fittings according to the users size, usage and posture and worked alongside local community members to deliver capacity-building workshops instructing participants and their families on wheelchair use and maintenance. At time of delivery baseline surveys were taken by our Senegalese team followed by 6 month follow up interviews. Each day finished with a group discussion of the future direction of Diam Rek. For those recipients who weren’t able to make it home deliveries were conducted.

A key goal was establishing a network of trusted individuals interested in taking a leading role in the charity and we currently have responsible team members in each area we are operating, several of who are members of the local disability community. These referral routes will ensure efficient and equitable access in the future and align with our ethos of being led by the individuals we serve.