Urgent Relief to Flood-hit Kerala

“I have never seen my son sit so patiently in his wheelchair for such a long time. This chair is so comfortable for him”. Suresh’s happiness was very perceptible as he learnt how to move his son around on the new CP chair. The family had lost most of their possessions in the flood, along with the wheelchair of their 10 year old son who has cerebral palsy. Attending the ATMA Mobility Aids Assessment and Distribution camp proved to be boon for them, as the child was given a new custom-made CP chair, and the required orthotics support, to enable him to attend school with even greater comfort than earlier.

The 3^rd phase of the ATMA Mobility Project was organised in March – April 2019. The assessment camp was conducted on March 21^st & 22^nd. 31 flood victims, who required mobility support and had lost their equipments, were assessed by the expert team from Mobility India, Bangalore. The fitting and training camp was organised from 25^th – 27^th April. A temporary workshop was set up at the ATMA office campus, for the orthotics & prosthetics team to work. 48 devices were provided to the 29 persons who came for the fitting – 15 wheelchairs, 4 KAFO, 9 AFO, one prosthetic limb, 1 partial foot prosthesis, 5 twin device, 2 walker, 6 knee gaiters, 2 toilet chair, 1 soft neck collar, 1 foot orthosis and 1 elbow crutch .The devices were either custom-made for each person or customised at the camp. The team also gave training to the users and their bystanders in the proper use and maintenance of the device. This ensures that each device is 100% suitable to the person’s needs, and will actually help him/her become more mobile.

The fitting camp was a touching experience. So much joy and hope were shared there.. So much love and gratitude...The joy of a parent who realises that his child can sit longer in school.. The hope of a middle aged father who is able to move on his own with the custom-made wheelchair, and, for the first time in 8 years, feels confident that he could work and earn again.. The excitement of two-year -olds when they bang on the lap-boards of their twin-device, their heads protected by its soft cushion..

For people who were already fighting the wrath of fate in the form of a long-borne disability, the flood had caused an additional burden. With the ATMA Mobility Project, we could ease this burden by one little bit, lend our shoulder for a little while, help them take a little break in their constant fight.. and our reward was there in the well-concealed tears of joy, the cautious smiles of hope, and the carefully controlled outbursts of excitement that we could glimpse in some precious moments!

And our gratitude goes out to all those anonymous, unknown donors on GlobalGiving – who, across nations, across boundaries, came out in one massive wave of support, to lend a hand to a struggling people. To you, we dedicate the ATMA Mobility Project. Every smile it brings is a gift to you alone.