By Sophie Birkett | Head of Operations, Charitable Trust
Dear Supporter,
Through our healthcare projects, we aim to better the lives of children facing various difficulties in the communities we work in. Our donors and supporters enable this through their support and sometimes, things come together in such a way that a group of people from one side of the world can positively change the life for someone elsewhere.
One such child is 14 year old Nikhil, a student attending Cottolengo Special Needs School in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India. Nikhil has advanced Cerebral Palsy and is currently facing many challenges. He is physically handicapped and has extreme difficulty moving from one place to another. Nikhil was being placed in an improvised plastic chair with the legs cut short, crudely attached to a metal frame that sits on two mis-matched tyres. Nikhil has extremely limited muscle control, and as a result was constantly falling or slipping out of his chair. He needs constant supervision to be readjusted and pulled into an upright position to remain even slightly secured. In terms of safety, the chair presents many problems & makes his posture extremely harmful to his neck & spine which is critical to anyone suffering from Nikhil's condition.
On the other side of the world, a group of people came together to fundraise for Nikhil, in memory of their beloved friend and daughter who tragically passed away far too young and had volunteered in India with Nikhil. Their funds along with the support of the Charitable Trust enabled us to buy a proper wheelchair for Nikhil.
The Cottolengo Sisters made a good effort to visit the orthopaedist for Nikhil, got a consultation for the new wheelchair with specifications immediately after receiving the funds. They went in a van with the help of 2 drivers. Now the modern wheelchair with a chest belt and foot-rest, makes him conveniently settled & he is happy with smiles. He has a plastic table to have food as well. A fully functioning wheelchair has now improved Nikhil's personal comfort, health and safety in numerous ways. It perks up his spinal and neck support, scheduled physiotherapy, enhanced transportation around the school, enabled pressure area care, and greatly increased hygiene levels. Feeding has become easier, as Nikhil is better supported with his upgraded modern wheelchair. The long term impact of Nikhil who obtained a new wheelchair is undoubtedly & overwhelmingly a positive gesture to this poor boy.
Thank you for supporting this project.
All the best
GVI India
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