Volunteers Across the Country Donate Time and Money to Help People in Uganda

Children and adults in Uganda are receiving a lot of help from people in the United States as of late.

Just one of the ways people have been helping is by donating wheelchairs to Ugandan children. According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, a local nonprofit from Montana called Reach out and Care (ROC) Wheels partnered with the Uganda Orphans Fund to bring wheelchairs to many disabled children.

Two hundred children will be receiving the gift of mobility after a two-year effort that included designing and creating the wheelchairs. The nonprofit shipped their latest batch of wheelchairs to Uganda earlier this month. There are two million new wheelchair users in the United States every year, but there is a high need for wheelchairs in Uganda, too.

All of ROC Wheelchairs were created to be durable, configurable, and adjustable. The team hopes every child is able to use their new chair for at least five years. The chairs are modifiable enough to help a child growing up in a rugged environment.

Along with the help of ROC Wheels, a Hamptons-based group went out to Uganda recently to serve impoverished adults and children. According to Hamptons.com, Operation International sent a team of OI physicians, nurses, clinicians, and other volunteers. The group not only helped sick kids and adults but also delivered $600,000 worth of medical supplies and paid a visit to three orphanages. About 50% of adults aged 65 and over participate in volunteer work each year, but groups like Operation International go the extra 2,000 miles.

Medhat Allam, MD, Operation International’s Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, spoke with Hamptons.com about the visit.

“Our medical mission to Uganda was very fulfilling for our entire team,” Allam said. “As part of our mission to save as many lives as possible in impoverished countries where people are faced with the lack of quality health services, we performed 72 major complex surgical procedures during 16-hour days on congenital anomalies, severe burn reconstructions, benign and malignant tumors.”

If you are looking to participate in volunteer programs that directly benefit children in Uganda, you might consider donating to Lauren Akins’ company called ‘Love One’. Lauren is the wife of country superstar Thomas Rhett and the two have an adopted daughter from Uganda. You can head to LoveOneStore.com to purchase apparel that will help support Ugandan children.