Judith Norbene Kasirimo.

I am Judith Norbene Kasirimo. I was born in the dry plains of Sajiloni, in a nomadic area mainly inhabited by the Maasai people of Kenya in the heart of maasailand. It is about 10 km from Kajiado town. My early years at home were not as good as I wanted as I was born up in an area where disability was regarded as a curse and shame for the family. I could not play nor socialize with my peers as a girl child is being valued in my tradition for several duties like collecting firewoods, fetching water, milking, taking care of livestock among many other duties. I felt isolated until the Lord opened a way for me to be brought to the Centre.

I got polio at the age of 2 years leading to my current condition, hence found myself at the AIC Kajiado Child Care Centre which is a rehabilitation Centre for children with disabilities. I spend my early childhood life here undergoing various corrective surgeries, treatment, rehabilitation and finally education. I was fitted with calliper on my right leg and crutches for my mobility.  I started my education at the child care centre intergration Nursery School and later joined AIC Girls Primary School which is just near the Centre. After my primary education, I joined Enoomatasiani Secondary School for my secondary education for four year until I completed in 1998.

Professionally

I trained several courses such as Telephone operator, receptionist, guidance counsellor, computer science and Secretarial. I started working in Nairobi the capital city of Kenya for 3 years and in 2004 I got a job at AIC Kajiado child care centre where by am working as a secretary.

Spiritually.

I came to know the Lord here at the Centre at my early age through Sunday school, bible club and church service. I came to accept my disability, helped by the Bible verse, where Jesus explained that a man who was born blind was not because his parents sinned but because God had a purpose. Mine was about to be revealed as I have seen the faithfulness of the Lord throughout my life in several ways. First I come from a very needy background as my parents were illiterate and not working. Throughout my life I have been supported at the Centre for my treatment, appliances, education until I got a job through well wishers and friends of the centre.

My life at the Child Care Centre has been a big challenge for me. I have realized my full potential being able to work like the rest and being in a position to express and show the goodness of the Lord .I now know that my disability was surely a gift from God because it had a purpose. I no longer feel sorry for my disability. I feel Blessed! On reflection, I have no doubt in my mind, that had I not been disabled, I would have been where am am now. I could have been the jungle with hunger, diseases, poverty and worst of all, ignorance and not knowing the Lord. I like seeing children with disabilities being brought to the Centre by their parent. At times they hide them and feel very bad, but when I serve them in my nature their minds changes immediately. I like sharing my disability experience to many parents and the community at large. 

You can share with me the goodness of the Lord. It is through the support of kind friends that has enabled me to be where I am now

THE  OFF-ROAD WHEEL CHAIR

Hi there

Just thought you might be interested to hear my story – I think it’s a great tale, but then, for me it has certainly been exciting!

I was relegated to a scrap area - broken!

Some of my earliest memories are ‘old Bob’, in England, who bought me in order to help his wife who, at the time was suffering various disabilities, in addition to being old and frail.   For a while I was able to help her every day to get around; then came the day she fell ill and was taken to hospital, sadly, she never came back home and I was left in the garage for a very long time.   I wanted to go to another family, where I could perhaps be of help to someone else, but it didn’t work out…….no one seemed to need me or want me.

Finally I was sent (together with some other unwanted wheel chairs), in a box to a Child Care Centre in distant Kenya; very long journey, but it was worth it as I was immediately given a job to do, helping disabled Kenyan children within the Centre.   It wasn’t long though, before I found I was struggling, the ground here is much rougher and sandy in places, with many stones everywhere.   A matter of months later the rough treatment put me out of action. In my case, a wheel, plus part of the frame and back-rest just broke away, and I was relegated to a scrap area to join some others with similar – or worse failures.   Now, if anything, I felt more discouraged than I had ever felt in my life!    ‘This looks like it’s the end!’

'He started cutting off some parts!'

Some time later, a man came along and took me to the workshop: he then started cutting off some parts and welding on some other bits and pieces – and that was not a nice experience!  ‘What’s going on here?’     However, I soon began to realise that I was steadily becoming a New Person!  I had larger, chunkier wheels and generally looked much more able for those rough, stony paths outside, plus, I now had hefty puncture-proof tyres, which seemed like a good step in the right direction, since in my brief life at the Centre I had suffered many punctures – there are thorns everywhere here!    What a ‘conversion’ now I have in fact six wheels – yes SIX and they are really ready for action!  The early tests out in ‘the rough’ soon proved the point; I personally was astonished to see that obstacles which would have brought me to an abrupt stop previously didn’t appear to phase anybody now – least of all me!    ‘Wow, this is great!’ I feel as though I’m “Born Again”, a new person, with a whole new life!    Well, now I’m thrilled to be able to cope with these arduous conditions and I am clearly able to help needy children in a whole new way!    Just recently I overheard someone refer to me as “The Born Again Wheel chair”!   Yep; that’s just about it.   I would not wish for my old life again for anything – this is far more wonderful, I can just sense that I have a great future now!

'My New Family', the cerebral palsy boy, his mum and me!

Thank you for reading my story, although I bet you haven’t been as thrilled as I am with it – or for example, as thrilled as my new ‘family’, a cerebral palsy boy and his mum, living in real poverty in Masai land ……..my job is to help them get to the regular health clinics at the Church in the ‘local’ village; the lad previously had to be carried, dreadful!   I think I can already see an improvement in the child’s health!  Perhaps, just as exciting is the fact that next term his mum is hoping to enrol him in the local school, near to the Church,  prior to this of course, education has been impossible for him!

I’m just so grateful to the very kind man who brought me through the transforming process, to make me into what I am now – a whole ‘new person’!    I somehow believe that I too might yet prove to be really important to ‘my new family’, changing their lives – perhaps in some way, rather like my own life has been transformed.

Bless you

Willie Chaire

An early prototype being developed in UK

 Welcome to the Off road Wheel chair site.   This project has been running for almost 4 years now; the aim being to design and build wheel chairs which will be more suited to the rough and harsh conditions of rural Africa.   The special wheelchairs were initially designed in the UK. Early prototypes were developed in the little workshop and then they  were taken out to Kenya to be further developed and tested.    There are many disabled children living in, or linked to our Aim Child Care Centres in Kenya.

L to R. Early Chain-drive example: Pushed 4-wheeler: Child-size 6-wheeler: Adult-size 6-wheeler

This has now, to some extent, been achieved, by the design and devlopment of  the Off road wheel chairs.    There are currently 4 main models which are  being developed .    One is a Chain-drive, Self propelled machine, another is a 6-wheeler and yet another system is the 4-wheeler ‘non-steer’ type.   Each of these appears to have considerable potential, and each targets certain types of disabilty.    For example, there are many Cerebral Palsy sufferers; these children often have almost no control over their limbs and very little strength, thus, a machine which is pushed by a helper is appropriate. 

Double amputee Laisa, delighting in a new-found mobility!

However many other disabled children do have sufficient strength to propel themselves and are able to benefit greatly from a self-propelled machine, gaining strength and confidence as they use the machines on a regular basis.  These Off road wheel chairs help disabled children to attend monthly clinics in their village areas, where they can receive important food suplements and also physiotherapy.     We believe that in the future the machines will also allow some children to attend day schools in their vicinity.     

3 examples of the Non-steer type. L. to R. The early 6-wheel system: A Newer example: The Simpler 4-wheeler

The psycological effect this has on the chidren and their parents/carers is also important, openning up new horizons of possibility.     

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