Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In 2001, Don Schoendorfer travelled to Luanda, Angola. On this trip, he brought something special with him. He brought four wheelchairs. He had built them himself. He wanted to give these chairs to disabled people - people with movement problems.
Voice 2
Don and his group travelled to a very poor area of Luanda with their wheelchairs. Many amputees lived in the community. When Don got out of his truck, he saw two shapes moving in the distance. Clouds of dust formed behind these shapes. As the shapes got closer, Don saw that they were two young men. The men were pulling themselves across the ground. The men pulled their legs behind them. Their knees were dirty, cut, and bloody from the rough ground.
Voice 1
These men were in a difficult situation. They were not able to use their legs. But they were strong and determined to move through the streets. A wheelchair would make this much easier. Don pulled one of his wheelchairs from the truck. One of the disabled men put his hand on the chair. He did not want to let go. Don tells what happened next.
Voice 3
“The man looked up at me. He had such hope in his eyes. I wanted to get my camera, but I could not make him wait like that any longer. I put my hand on the seat and moved for him to climb into the chair. Quickly, he was sitting in the chair and looking at me for directions.”
Voice 2
Don pushed the man around in the chair. Don told the man that this was now his wheelchair. Don had brought it in the name of Jesus Christ. He could see the large smile on the man’s face. But he also saw twelve [12] other disabled people gathered around him. Don only had three more wheelchairs to give away. The need for wheelchairs was so large. That day, Don promised to do all he could to help disabled people all over the world. Today, he is still working to achieve that goal.
Voice 1
Today’s spotlight is about Don and the Free Wheelchair Mission.
Voice 2
There are many people in the world living with disabilities. And over one hundred million [100,000,000] disabled people need wheelchairs. But wheelchairs can cost a lot of money. Many people do not have enough money for a wheelchair. Or there is no way for them to get one.
Voice 1
Disability can be difficult for any person. Many people have a bad opinion of disability - they believe that a disabled person is not able to live a full, satisfying life. Or that disabled people are not worth very much. Sometimes, a community supports and respects a disabled person. But often, it is the other way - disabled people experience rejection and disrespect.
Voice 2
Poverty can make these problems much worse. First, poverty creates more disabilities. This is because of bad health services, difficult work, and difficult living conditions. And second, disasters affect poor people more - from war and conflict to extreme weather. All of these things can cause terrible injuries. And during these difficult times, people cannot usually get the medical care they need. This has lasting effects.
Voice 1
Finally, for very poor people, it is difficult to get help in dealing with disability. This makes the effects of a disability much worse. For example, wheelchairs. Wheelchairs can make a huge difference for a person with movement problems. With a wheelchair, these people can move more freely - and this way, a person can live a more normal life. But often, wheelchairs cost too much money.
Voice 2
In 1977 Don Schoendorfer first learned of these difficulties. In that year he travelled to Morocco with his wife. There he saw a disabled woman. She pulled herself across the dirt ground. The people around her did not help her. In fact, they treated her very badly. This incident stayed in Don’s mind for many years. Finally, twenty-five years later, he decided to do something to help people like that woman.
Voice 1
Don is a mechanical engineer. He has designed complex machines. [] But this was a different kind of problem. He spent nine months designing and building a wheelchair. But this wheelchair was different from normal wheelchairs. New wheelchairs can cost anywhere from one hundred fifty dollars [150] to thirty thousand dollars [30,000]. But Don wanted to make a wheelchair that did not cost a lot of money. He wanted to make a wheelchair for poor disabled people all around the world.
Voice 2
Don worked hard to find materials that did not cost a lot of money. He used bicycle wheels for the chair instead of specially designed wheels. People use two wheeled bicycles for transport everywhere in the world. And for the seat, Don used a common plastic chair. With a few other materials, Don built a total of one hundred wheelchairs. Instead of costing hundreds of dollars, each of Don’s wheelchairs only cost forty four dollars.
Voice 1
After this, Don needed to find a way for people to get the wheelchairs. He did this in two ways. First, he brought them to people in Ghana, India, and China. Second, Don sent the wheelchair parts in the mail. When people receive the parts, they can put the chairs together easily. This saves money.
Voice 2
In 2001, Don turned his wheelchair project into a group called the Free Wheelchair Mission. Many people gave money to the group. Don used this money to build many more wheelchairs. Today, two factories in China make the wheelchairs. The group then sends the chairs all over the world.
Voice 1
Free Wheelchair Mission has given wheelchairs to people in seventy five [75] countries. And Don hopes that by the year 2010 his group will deliver twenty million [20,000,000] wheelchairs.
Voice 2
So, why does Don work so hard to help other people? He could be making a lot of money working as an engineer. Why does he put so much energy into helping disabled people? The answer is on Free Wheelchair Mission’s Website. It says:
Voice 4
“Free Wheelchair Mission believes that when Jesus Christ lived in this world, he had special love for the sick and disabled. We try to share the same concern now for the poor, especially those with physical movement problems. The chairs are given free to those in need, no matter what they believe.”
Voice 1
Don was influenced by the life of Jesus. He wants to care for the sick and poor just like Jesus did. Don says this about the first time a person gets his new wheelchair.
Voice 3
“It is like the day they get married, or the day they finish school. Without a doubt, it is the most important day in their lives. It is the day they get their self-respect back.”
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