Free Wheelchair Mission Announces Arrival of 550 Wheelchairs in Vietnam

Irvine, CA, August 02, 2013 --(PR.com)-- A container (550 individual units) of Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) wheelchairs arrived this week for persons in need in Vietnam. Once they have been processed and assembled by the distribution partner in Vietnam, Giving it Back to Kids, the wheelchairs will be given to individuals with physical disabilities living in poverty who would not be able to obtain the mobility aid they need otherwise. By Free Wheelchair Mission’s estimates, no fewer than three additional people beyond the initial recipient are impacted by each wheelchair—friends, family, and caretakers, amongst others—bringing the total impact of this shipment to 2,200 people. These wheelchairs bring not only the gift of mobility, but also dignity, independence, and hope for each of the recipients.

Vietnam is FWM’s largest distribution area with more than 92,000 wheelchairs provided there since the first delivery in 2004. Although significant strides forward have been made in recent years by the Vietnamese government to help alleviate poverty, there still remains a vast need for support of the nation’s community of persons with physical disabilities. The Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in Vietnam estimates that more than 6% of the Vietnamese population lives with some form of disability, with a majority living in rural areas where the nation’s poverty is most profound. FWM’s GEN_1 model wheelchair, a majority of the wheelchairs in this shipment, is ideally suited for the rigors of a lifetime of use over rugged terrain.

About Free Wheelchair Mission: Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) is a humanitarian, faith-based 501(c)(3) organization that seeks to “provide the transforming gift of mobility to the impoverished disabled in developing countries, as motivated by Jesus Christ.” Wheelchairs are distributed fully-assembled free of charge to recipients and are given regardless of race, gender, religion, or ethnicity. Since 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission has provided over 700,000 specially-made wheelchairs to individuals with disabilities in 87 countries around the world. They provide not only mobility, but share the gifts of dignity, independence and hope.

About Giving it Back to Kids: Giving it Back to Kids is a non-profit corporation dedicated to helping kids achieve their maximum potential through medical care, education, nutrition and love.