The gift of mobility
It was all smiles when Jack received the gift of mobility
For most of little Jack’s* life, he had to crawl or be carried around, but last week, he was all smiles when he received a much-needed wheelchair, donated by Wheelchairs of Hope and Wizo South Africa.
This five-year-old boy, a resident of El Roi Baby Home at Refilwe Community Project, is not able to walk due to neurological deformities. He has spent long periods sitting on the floor and had to be carried by staff or pushed in a stroller. The manager of the El Roi Baby Home, Nicole Gilette said she has overseen Jack’s consistent care throughout his life while residing at El Roi.
Wizo South Africa joined forces with Wheelchairs of Hope – an Israeli NGO that develops, designs, manufactures and provides the chairs with the help of specialist Israeli doctors and engineers from ALYN Hospital.
El Roi Baby Home provides loving, structured and consistent care-giving to babies, typically aged from birth to three years old until they are adopted and placed with their ‘forever families’. El Roi has been operating since 2012 and has been home to 56 babies, 37 of whom have been successfully adopted both nationally and internationally. El Roi, Hebrew for ‘God Who Sees Me’, is staffed by dedicated and loving women, providing a home environment and consistent care.
* A fictional name to protect the identity of the child and his biological family in terms of the Children’s Act.
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