Rick Papandrea is fundraising
Help Emmanual's Workshop Improve Lives in Ethiopia
Your donation, whether it be $5, 10, or $100 + will make a REAL, BIG impact in the world! 100% of what is raised on GoFundMe and given to St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation will be given directly to Emmanual's Workshop.
Imagine needing a medical device - a wheelchair, braces, crutches, or a prosthetic - to walk or function in everyday life and have no means locally to get it. The only way to have a chance to get that device is having to travel hours or even days throughout Ethiopia. The Emmanual Disability Association and Workshop located in Soddo, Ethiopia is often the only option. Melese Eyob, a founder of the association and workshop makes that dream a reality for disabled Ethiopians.
Melese knows these struggles firsthand. He has had Polio since childhood and lived on the streets himself, until he was helped by Soddo Christian Hospital 15 years ago with surgery. Even with the surgery, he cannot get around without crutches. He started the association and workshop due to the dire need of medical supplies and job opportunities for the disabled. The workshop not only improves the lives of those they serve, but also those that they employ. Most of the employees are disabled, many of whom were living on the street before being offered shelter, training, and a job by Melese. He and his team work tirelessly with the minimal supplies available to them, in a warehouse (as you will see below in the photos) that needs many improvements.
The workshop manufactures crutches, wheelchairs, commodes, hospital beds, stretchers, coffins and prosthetics. They need our help to buy raw materials to continue to make prosthetics and to get a machine set up for injection molding, to recycle plastic to make crutch handles.
In order of priority the money raised will be used for following:
1. Machine for Injection Molding
2. Raw Materials for Prosthetics
(Raw materials like SACH ( solid ankle cushion-heel), PP (polypropylene), EVA, Transtibial alignment component, Transfemoral alignment component and Ankle disarticulation alignment component)
The warehouse has machines to make different kinds of prosthetics including those for below the knee, above the knee, and the arms. These prosthetics help adults and children that have amputations due to Polio and other illnesses that have caused severe handicaps.
Emmanual Disability Association has already registered 35 clients in the last 2 months who are looking for different kinds of prosthetics. More than 100 people need braces for weakness of the foot, to give them a chance to stand or walk. The workshop is in the center of the Wolaitta region, which has about 2.5 million inhabitants, and is one of the most populated and impoverished parts of Ethiopia. Melese often finds people on the street begging, gives them a place to live, often providing medical care, training, and a job.
Melese is pictured below (top right photo) with Habtamu Yohanis (the groom), a young man that Melese was able to help through his warehouse by providing him a wheelchair, changing his life. Habtamu is 23 years old and works as a shoe shiner. Habtamu recently was married to his beautiful bride and asked Melese to be a guest at the ceremony.
Dr. Rick Papandrea of Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin has been here personally while volunteering at Soddo Christian Hospital , a non-profit organization of St. Luke's Health Care Foundation. He knows firsthand that the impact of your donation, even $5, would greatly benefit the warehouse and vastly expand their resources to be able to those in need.
In the near future, there will be more disabled people using the facility including women. Showers are needed for the employees, as well as building a walkway dedicated to gait evaluation on the side of the warehouse to improve the prosthetic fitting needs of the patients.
THANK YOU FOR ANY DONATION YOU CAN GIVE. Any amount will help towards our goal!
Pictured below is the warehouse where the wheelchairs, prosthetics, and other medical devices are made.
First Hand Accounts of Emmanual Disability Association's Impact:
Iskindet Geta
Iskindet Geta is 28 years old. He is from the Amhara region, which is in the northern part of Ethiopia. He had a car accident in which his family took him to the hospital for treatment, and then he moved to his home town to be with his family. He lived at home without a wheelchair. His family had to carry him to the restroom and all around the house for months. It was very difficult. One day Ethiopia television showed that Emmanuel Disability Association was producing wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and other supplies for handicaps and hospital cases. He took down the address of Emmanuel from the TV. He was able to make the trip to the warehouse with his family and received a brand new wheelchair. He is so thankful for the way that the warehouse has changed his life.
Adisu Mena
Adisu Mena is 45 years old. He is not married and is from Bodity which is 17 km away from Soddo. He was a merchant in a local market where he used to sell eggs. He had Polio since childhood. 10 years ago, he got a wheelchair from missioners of a church who were distributing them for the handicaps, however after some time the wheelchair became broken and made his life extremely difficult. Due to not having a functioning wheelchair, he couldn't work for years. He heard about Emmanuel Disability Association on the radio. He came to Emmanuel to ask for a new wheelchair, in which he was welcomed and provided a brand new wheelchair! Adisu is very thankfully and happy. Last week he announced through telephone to Emmanuel that he started his job in Bodity market. Everyone is thrilled for him!
Mulunesh Tamirat
Mulunesh Tamirat is 38 years old, married, and a mother of two. She is from the town of Doiyogana which is about 65 km away from Wolaita Soddo. Her husband is a farmer and she has two daughters. She used to live in an Arab country for the last three and a half years because of house work. During those years she was hard working, honest, and a responsible worker for the owners. One day a disagreement happened between her and the family for which she used to work. Tragedy struck when they threw her from the third floor of the house to the ground. A neighbor took her to the hospital and it was discovered she had fractures on both legs and vertebrate. After she got treatment they sent her to her home country. She used to have a wheelchair, which broke quickly, so she came to Emmanuel to try and get a new one. They were able to give her a new wheelchair and guide her to find work. Now she is very thankful and happy!
Soddo, is a city of roughly 80,000 people in southwestern Ethiopia, about 200 miles from Addis Ababa. Your donation will be donated to St Lukes Health Care Foundation who will donate directly to Emmanual Disability Association in Ethiopia.
Imagine needing a medical device - a wheelchair, braces, crutches, or a prosthetic - to walk or function in everyday life and have no means locally to get it. The only way to have a chance to get that device is having to travel hours or even days throughout Ethiopia. The Emmanual Disability Association and Workshop located in Soddo, Ethiopia is often the only option. Melese Eyob, a founder of the association and workshop makes that dream a reality for disabled Ethiopians.
Melese knows these struggles firsthand. He has had Polio since childhood and lived on the streets himself, until he was helped by Soddo Christian Hospital 15 years ago with surgery. Even with the surgery, he cannot get around without crutches. He started the association and workshop due to the dire need of medical supplies and job opportunities for the disabled. The workshop not only improves the lives of those they serve, but also those that they employ. Most of the employees are disabled, many of whom were living on the street before being offered shelter, training, and a job by Melese. He and his team work tirelessly with the minimal supplies available to them, in a warehouse (as you will see below in the photos) that needs many improvements.
The workshop manufactures crutches, wheelchairs, commodes, hospital beds, stretchers, coffins and prosthetics. They need our help to buy raw materials to continue to make prosthetics and to get a machine set up for injection molding, to recycle plastic to make crutch handles.
In order of priority the money raised will be used for following:
1. Machine for Injection Molding
2. Raw Materials for Prosthetics
(Raw materials like SACH ( solid ankle cushion-heel), PP (polypropylene), EVA, Transtibial alignment component, Transfemoral alignment component and Ankle disarticulation alignment component)
The warehouse has machines to make different kinds of prosthetics including those for below the knee, above the knee, and the arms. These prosthetics help adults and children that have amputations due to Polio and other illnesses that have caused severe handicaps.
Emmanual Disability Association has already registered 35 clients in the last 2 months who are looking for different kinds of prosthetics. More than 100 people need braces for weakness of the foot, to give them a chance to stand or walk. The workshop is in the center of the Wolaitta region, which has about 2.5 million inhabitants, and is one of the most populated and impoverished parts of Ethiopia. Melese often finds people on the street begging, gives them a place to live, often providing medical care, training, and a job.
Melese is pictured below (top right photo) with Habtamu Yohanis (the groom), a young man that Melese was able to help through his warehouse by providing him a wheelchair, changing his life. Habtamu is 23 years old and works as a shoe shiner. Habtamu recently was married to his beautiful bride and asked Melese to be a guest at the ceremony.
Dr. Rick Papandrea of Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin has been here personally while volunteering at Soddo Christian Hospital , a non-profit organization of St. Luke's Health Care Foundation. He knows firsthand that the impact of your donation, even $5, would greatly benefit the warehouse and vastly expand their resources to be able to those in need.
In the near future, there will be more disabled people using the facility including women. Showers are needed for the employees, as well as building a walkway dedicated to gait evaluation on the side of the warehouse to improve the prosthetic fitting needs of the patients.
THANK YOU FOR ANY DONATION YOU CAN GIVE. Any amount will help towards our goal!
Pictured below is the warehouse where the wheelchairs, prosthetics, and other medical devices are made.
First Hand Accounts of Emmanual Disability Association's Impact:
Iskindet Geta
Iskindet Geta is 28 years old. He is from the Amhara region, which is in the northern part of Ethiopia. He had a car accident in which his family took him to the hospital for treatment, and then he moved to his home town to be with his family. He lived at home without a wheelchair. His family had to carry him to the restroom and all around the house for months. It was very difficult. One day Ethiopia television showed that Emmanuel Disability Association was producing wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and other supplies for handicaps and hospital cases. He took down the address of Emmanuel from the TV. He was able to make the trip to the warehouse with his family and received a brand new wheelchair. He is so thankful for the way that the warehouse has changed his life.
Adisu Mena
Adisu Mena is 45 years old. He is not married and is from Bodity which is 17 km away from Soddo. He was a merchant in a local market where he used to sell eggs. He had Polio since childhood. 10 years ago, he got a wheelchair from missioners of a church who were distributing them for the handicaps, however after some time the wheelchair became broken and made his life extremely difficult. Due to not having a functioning wheelchair, he couldn't work for years. He heard about Emmanuel Disability Association on the radio. He came to Emmanuel to ask for a new wheelchair, in which he was welcomed and provided a brand new wheelchair! Adisu is very thankfully and happy. Last week he announced through telephone to Emmanuel that he started his job in Bodity market. Everyone is thrilled for him!
Mulunesh Tamirat
Mulunesh Tamirat is 38 years old, married, and a mother of two. She is from the town of Doiyogana which is about 65 km away from Wolaita Soddo. Her husband is a farmer and she has two daughters. She used to live in an Arab country for the last three and a half years because of house work. During those years she was hard working, honest, and a responsible worker for the owners. One day a disagreement happened between her and the family for which she used to work. Tragedy struck when they threw her from the third floor of the house to the ground. A neighbor took her to the hospital and it was discovered she had fractures on both legs and vertebrate. After she got treatment they sent her to her home country. She used to have a wheelchair, which broke quickly, so she came to Emmanuel to try and get a new one. They were able to give her a new wheelchair and guide her to find work. Now she is very thankful and happy!
Soddo, is a city of roughly 80,000 people in southwestern Ethiopia, about 200 miles from Addis Ababa. Your donation will be donated to St Lukes Health Care Foundation who will donate directly to Emmanual Disability Association in Ethiopia.
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