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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
LDS Charities (LDSC), the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, partners with Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) to conduct trainings on assembling wheelchairs and assisting people with disabilities. Specialists conducted the training on 4 December to 15 December 2017 at the Church's Labangon Chapel in Cebu City.
Workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Services and staff of the Rehabilitation Department of VSMMC volunteered to receive training.
Wheelchair donations coupled with trainings is the first initiative of its kind in Cebu. Wheelchair trainings were conducted from Monday to Wednesday, and the actual donations of wheelchairs followed on Thursday to Friday. Those who had undergone the training received a certificate.
LDSC donated 1,000 wheelchairs and 300 assistive devices for the province of Cebu. Qualified recipients received wheelchairs.
“Wheelchairs are expensive and most Filipinos have no budget to afford one,” said Hentze Loseñara, Chief Occupational Therapist of VSMMC. “Since these are free, it will help address this problem in the community,” he added.
George Kenneth Lee, project manager of LDSC, described the benefits the recipients receive. “Sometimes they are able to go back to work and to school. Some of them just need to go outside and feel that they are part of the community.”
Mr. Lee further explained that LDSC would not be able to reach out to people with disabilities on their own. “We will continue to work together to find and look for the ones that need help in becoming mobile again, we hope to strengthen our partnership with VSMMC."
To become a wheelchair recipient, their family renders 40 hours of community service
before the recipient can receive the wheelchair. “We think of people with disabilities as people with dignity,” said Lauro Bautista, an LDSC wheelchair specialist. “Anything that is earned is valued,” he explained as the reason behind the requirement.
The objective of the Wheelchair Program of LDSC is to improve the mobility, health, educational and economic opportunities of people with physical disabilities. By working with local organizations, LDSC can improve their services for the physically disabled and provide them with wheelchairs or walking aids that can individuals with disabilities become self-reliant.
Photo Credit: Kenneth Engracia