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Children with disability in developing countries could soon receive Australian made wheelchairs, thanks to a new partnership between an international airline and a Perth-based charity.
Wheelchairs For Kids Australia (WFKA), a not-for-profit which builds wheelchairs for children in third world countries, has partnered with Hong Kong based airline Cathay, who says the move will see its members donate through the company’s frequent flyer program to deliver wheelchairs to children around the world.
There is a global shortage of wheelchairs for children living in developing countries, with more than 10 million needed right now, according to Wheelchairs for Kids Australia.
CEO of Wheelchairs For Kids Australia, Greg Hebble, said the organisation is thrilled to be partnering with Cathay.
Through the Asia Miles program, we hope to create greater awareness to the plight of children in developing countries who cannot access a wheelchair. For just $300 we can change that and give these kids mobility, dignity and hope for a brighter future.
Greg Hebble
Through Cathay’s partnership with WFKA, passengers can select wheelchair parts or choose to donate the whole set up through Asia Miles or Miles + Cash.
Cathay Regional General Manager, Southeast Asia & Oceania, Frosti Lau, says the company’s commitment to Perth over the last fifty decades makes the partnership a great union.
The team at Wheelchairs For Kids Australia does an incredible job of supplying wheelchairs to children in developing countries. It is an honour to be able to support them as a charity partner. As we head into the end of the year and a time of giving, we are asking our members to donate and help change the life of another child in need.
Frosti Lau
According to the charity’s website, Wheelchairs For Kids Australia is supported by more than 250 regular volunteers, with an average age of 74 years old, and has already delivered over 66,000 all-terrain wheelchairs to 80 countries across the globe since 1998.
One of its volunteers and co-founder of the organisation, Brother Thomas Oliver (Olly) Pickett AM, was named as Senior Australian of the Year this year.
Speaking with the ABC, Mr Pickett says seeing the joy on children’s faces once they are sitting comfortably in a chair gives him satisfaction to keep going.
“There are so many kids in the world that need a wheelchair…for all sorts of reasons. At wheelchairs for Kids, we have a mission statement. We listen. We care. We give to children with disabilities around the world,” he says.
“What we're trying to do with these little kids is to give 'em a new life, just a better life than what they're having.”
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