At least 50 children with disabilities in the Upper East Region have been given mobility aids to support their movement to school and also aid their learning.

The children have received wheelchairs and wheel tricycles donated by Worldwide Healthcare Ghana in partnership with child rights NGO, Afrikids Ghana.

A number of medical wheelchairs have also been donated to the healthcare facilities in the region to support the movement of vulnerable patients.

The Children were selected from Sandema in the Builsa North District, Sirigu in the Kasena- Nankana West District, Bongo and Bolgatanga.

Worldwide Healthcare, an Imperial Logistics SA Group Company is engaged in the distribution and marketing of medical products [ethical and generic pharmaceutical products, vaccines, medical equipment and consumables, over the counter products and nutritional supplements] to wholesale, retail, hospitals and intuitions.

This donation to the persons with disabilities was in line with the company's belief that the welfare of such persons should be seen as a human right.

At Bongo where some parents and guardians of children with disabilities gathered to receive the wheelchairs and tricycles, a mother explained that her cerebral palsy child had become heavier as she got older and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to carry this child on her back, from place to place.

“When I carry her on my back and walk a short distance, my waist and chest begin to pain”, she said adding; “These wheelchairs given to us will relieve us a lot, especially me. Because I could not have afforded such an equipment”.

Another guardian said his nephew who was of school-going age, was finding it difficult to attend school because of the difficulty in moving around. He was excited that with the wheelchair, he could now move the child to and from school with ease.

Managing Director of Worldwide Healthcare Limited, Shailendra Sharma said the donation was part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

“This intervention was to provide relief for disabled people and also the medical wheelchairs will provide much relief for the health institutions where they are very much needed”, Sharma said.

He said Worldwide Healthcare Limited wanted to work with a reputable organization like Afrikids Ghana so they could see the impact of the donation on the ground.

The beneficiaries were identified by Afrikids Ghana through their work in the areas.

External Affairs Director at Afrikids Ghana, Raymond Ayinne said Afrikids was proud of to be partners in a charity event that was bringing a huge relief to vulnerable people.

“For us as Afrikids, we believe that education, healthcare and child protection are the pillars in terms of what we do as a charity and we hope that these children will be better protected and better cared for through the provision of these wheelchairs”, he said.

In all, 27 wheelchairs and 25 wheel tricycles were donated.