Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil, in coordination with the Church of Latter Day Saints, donated wheelchairs to 28 persons of scarce means, with impaired motor capabilities who were previously evaluated and qualified regarding the most convenient maneuverability to improve their personal mobility.
Esther was one of those benefitted. She was born with infantile cerebral paralysis and lumbar scoliosis. Jenny Vera, her mother commented how difficult it was not to have a folding wheelchair. “My little girl would go from the furniture to bed. The postural carriage we have has already deteriorated and does not provide mobility. This wheelchair is very convenient for appointments and therapy that she must frequently engage in”, she commented.
Before the wheelchairs' delivery, Mormon physiatrists offered training called,” a guide for manual wheelchair delivery in an impoverished environment”. According to Jason Terry physiotherapist for the church of Christ this training seeks to impart specific knowedge regarding the evaluation required of a wheelchair petitioner; the technical aspects which must be observed in the assembly, adjustments, maintenance and repair.
For Isabel Valdez de Escala, Foreign Relations Manager for the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil, this training given to evaluators and technicians guarantees the delivery of a better quality wheelchair, perfectly assembled with the right specifications for each person.
Training lasted for three days and ended with the wheelchair donation which took place in the Jesus Crist Church of Latter Day Saints located in the Kennedy neighborhood.
