Wheelchairs for Nepal

A Wheelchair is more than a wheelchair!     

Karma means action.
So Things change through action. Not only by Prayer … not only by wish.

H. H. the Dalai Lama


How the idea was born

To live with a mental and / or physical handicap is always a challenge, no matter where on this planet you´re born.
To be handicapped in a poor country with an insufficient health care system and an infrastructure which makes it very hard, sometimes impossible, to get the help you need and can give unbelievable grief and suffering for the concerned and their families.

In July 2015 I had the opportunity to work for the Selfhelpgroup for Cerebral Palsy in Kathmandu / Nepal. As I´m working as a Speech and Swallowing Therapist and Natural Path Healer for mental and/or physical handicapped children and youth in Germany I did the same there. The high standard of their work and the cheerful commitment of my colleagues impressed me very much, and the approachable, always kind and happy children touched my heart deeply.

As much more I felt very sorry about the devices they have to use.
Wheelchairs and wheelwalkers, seats and orthesis were mostly in a bad state. Many times repaired, but still broken; not adjustable and – because they are gifts from other countries – not fitting for the fine Nepali children and young adults.
There is no Industry in Nepal for this kind of tools and I think also the qualified jobs are missing.

The biggest part of my work I do in a special school for handicapped children in a small city near Cologne. Most of this children need orthopedic and prosthetic devices and they all get individualized wheelchairs, wheelwalkers, orthesis or what ever they need.
This things are produced by orthopedic technicians in cooperation with our Therapists.
So I sent pictures like this to Sveja and Michael, my favourite Technicians:




Their answer came promptly and made the People in the SGCP and of course also me very happy:
It came clear that beyond their willing to help they had yet experience with that kind of support work in Sarajevo / Bosnia.
How precious this experience is I could see many times in our preparations until now.

Why is it so important to individualize orthopedic and prosthetic devices?

A wheelchair is more than a vehicle to move and a wheelwalker is more than a support to walk. A good and well fitting wheelchair gives it´s owner an essential support to cope with his daily live and it gives the condition for successful and effective Therapy.

For example: if a child has spastic paresis it might has very low tension in his trunk, but a high, spastic tension in his legs. This child needs a good stabilization of it´s body and the pelvis and a possibility to fix the feet and leg in good position. If the child has also no control about it´s head it should be possible to give here a support too and maybe a flexible seat to bring it in different (relaxing) positions.
All this makes sure that the process the Physiotherapist and the Swallowingtherapist might started - stabilization and straightening to give the condition for upright sitting and save swallowing – can go on after the Therapy. It has a positive influence of the breathing, the ability to speak and to swallow and to be in contact with the environment.

Here you can see some pictures of  children with their new individual devices from the project in Sarajevo / Bosnia. (Thank you Nicole !)

This one is perfekt for him. He has a well control of his body and now this wheelchair seems just to be a part of him.



This boy needs support to keep his trunk upright. The fixation of his feet gives his body the information of "touching the ground" and is, together with the little wedge between his knees, good for the psoition of his pelvis and his legs.
The table is very usable and also a support for his arms which he can hardly controle in his movements.


This wheelwalker lets him go more upright. A very good tool for training and learning to walk.




at work


Orthopedic and prosthetic devices in Germany
In Germany all these devices are “medical products”. That means, that if they are used by a patient and then - because he or she is grown or developed different needs - are not fitting anymore, it is not allowed to give them to other people.

That’s the reason why possibly hundreds of wheelchairs, wheelwalkers and orthesis are thrown away in Germany every year.

The Plan
As the owner of their own company for orthopedic devices Michael and Sveja Holzapfel do have the possibility to collect the “old” materials to adjust them locally to the needs of the clients.

Bimal lal Shresta, the CEO of the SGCP, wrote me, that he thinks about 100 children and youth and with the need of this devices. We hope that in a first step we can give it to fifty children.
The collection of devices, special solid rubber tires, foam material, adjustable belts and so on yet started and first offers for the freight are given.

We (Sveja, Michael and me) are planning to send all the stuff to Nepal in January. In February we will go to Kathmandu for two weeks to do the personalized adjustments for the children at the Selfhelpgroup.

And after that?

We are very happy to do our first step in this kind of support in Nepal.
And we are sure that this is not “one way road”. There will be different needs for handicapped children and youth in a different culture and a different environment and so we are also looking forward learn about that.
If we all feel this as helpful we will come back once a year to continue.
For further projects we want to establish a trainee program for technicians in Kathmandu to give ideas and knowhow and make it possible that also this system, like the Selfhelpgroup, in a few years runs on it´s own.

What we need
All this needs a lot of effort and – of course – money! At this time we calculate 20.000 € for the

·             Freight

·             Storage

·             Packing charges

·             Customs

·             Spairs and repair parts

·             Flights

The German-Nepali Association offered us their support and cooperation. They provide us their account for the donations - this important, because they are allowed to give the donators special bills that the money they give is taxless.

Fortunately the most important is already there:

·             The wonderful children and youth visiting the SGCP.

·             The cheerful, creative and competent People who work for the SGCP.

·             Our all good will, experience and knowledge.

 

About the SelhelpGroup for Cerebral Palsy
To create and conduct a project like the SGCP in a poor country like Nepal can not be appreciated enough. This what they say about themselves:
Cerebral Palsy Nepal (registered as Self-Help Group for Cerebral Palsy, Nepal) is Nepal’s only non-governmental and non-profit organization dedicated to supporting people with cerebral palsy and their families. Since our foundation over 25 years ago, we have helped thousands of individuals with cerebral palsy and development delay to overcome many of the barriers they face, and to live happy and fulfilled lives.
Our programmes directly benefit 1,500 children with cerebral palsy a year.
From our specialist centre in Dhapakhel, Lalitpur, we run a complete rehabilitation service for children with cerebral palsy and their parents, as well as a school and vocational training centre for up to 50 children, and a residential scheme for families living outside of the Kathmandu Valley.
Our community programmes help us to reach many more unable to visit our centre. Through our home visitors, care centres, medical camps and other initiatives, we support individuals and families in 18 of Nepal’s 75 districts.
Despite the progress we have made, we are only scratching the service of what remains a chronic, under-resourced problem in Nepal. We are grateful to the continuing support of donors, parents and volunteers in helping us to reach the thousands more affected by this debilitating condition.
Cerebral Palsy Nepal is an associate organization member of the International Cerebral Palsy Society, London.
Further Information you find here:
www.cpnepal.org

 

About us
Sveja and Michael Holzapfel are Technicians for orthopedic and rehabilitative devices working in their own company “Holzapfel  Rehaservice”.
In “my” school we appreciate them very much because of their profound knowledge, endless creativity and always high motivation to find the best solution for every child.

www.holzapfel-reah.de

My Name is Ulla Blockhaus. Since 2003 I´m working as Speech- and Swallowingtherapist and since three years also as Natural Path Healer and Psychotherapist (Systemic Therapy) with handicapped children, youth, adults and their families or care system.
I´m working in my own practice, doing homevisits in a house for multiple handicapped children and in a Hospice. I´m responsible for the Speech- and Swallowing Therapy in a special school for physical and/or mental handicapped children.
www.ullablockhaus.de

We all live and work in Germany in small cities near Cologne.


Here you can see me at the Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu. It was in 2014 during my first trip to Nepal. My little friend in the blue shirt told me, that I have to learn Nepali and then come back for work! So I came back, but Nepali I still have to learn .... ;-)