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The Ōtaki College Interact group recently raised funds to support the global project "Build a Chair" which helps provide custom made wheelchairs to young people in need in Tanzania. As a result, the Interact Club, alongside Ōtaki Rotary CLub have been able to purchase/fund two wheelchairs. This effort was also recognised by the project organisers with the following response recently received:
Greetings President Krisha,
My name is Michelle Bailey and I am leading the Build-A-Chair effort which is helping those in need with mobility in Tanzania. Michael Fagg, who is on the project team has shared with us the wonderful news that your club has raised funds to support two wheelchairs. This is amazing!
You are the first Interact club to make a donation to our effort so this is very special. We are truly grateful that you have decided to partner with us to make a life changing difference in a person's life. Attached you will find our BAC Thermometer which adds your club to the other clubs that have graciously partnered with us.
We wish you all the best in the coming months. We would love to hear about your efforts as an Interact Club. Would you consider speaking to our club at some point in the future?
In service,
Michelle Bailey
We are truly proud of the students in our Interact Club who have worked hard to make this happen, as well as being grateful to our local Rotary Cub for their ongoing support and encouragement.
Lucy is a 21 year old young woman who lives in Arusha. She was diagnosed with diastematomyelia, a very rare condition which leads to longitudinal splitting of the spinal cord. She received physiotherapy for a while but in 2015 she started experiencing weakness in her legs and the sessions stopped mainly because of expenses. She switched to home exercises with the help of her relatives. Her condition progressed and she is now unable to walk and has lost strength in her arms. Lucy is a university student at IAA University in Arusha and traveling back and forth has become a challenge. After receiving our wheelchair, Lucy’s quality of life has greatly improved. She says school life is now easier with the wheelchair because and her friends no longer need to carry her. She typically stayed in the classroom all day long until her uncle would come to pick her up. With the wheelchair, Lucy no longer stays in one class all day long and she is able to access most areas of the university. Since the desks at her universities cannot accommodate a wheelchair, we attached a special tray/desk so her wheelchair is also her desk at school! Mobility is truly transforming lives!
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