Among the students were several whose lives have been transformed after being provided with wheelchairs under the Mobility Device Service (MDS), an initiative of the Spinal Injury Association of Fiji (SIA).
Vika Cagilevu, mother of one of the students, nine-year old Talei, said: “Before Talei received her wheelchair five years ago, she could only crawl to get around. She couldn’t feed herself and only stayed inside the house so she had no friends and did not attend school.
“Since being fitted with a wheelchair by SIA it is so much easier for me to take her around. The chair has helped her sitting posture and she can feed herself. Now she can get outside and play with all the other kids at school. She has been provided with a walker too, which she uses to get around.”
Sashi, aunt of Yash, 13, who has cerebral palsy added: “Before we heard about SIA through Hilton Special School, Yash just had a normal wooden chair that was too small for him, and he was not able to feed himself. It was not a proper chair for him.
“Now he can eat by himself and his posture has really improved which is important as he is still growing. He is going for a reassessment with SIA soon to fit him with a bigger chair – we are very happy about that.”
Joshko Wakaniyasi, Executive Director of Spinal Injuries Association, said of the scheme: “These stories really demonstrate the difference that proper assessment of wheelchair users needs and proper fitting of chairs by trained professionals can make.
“Since the MDS scheme started back in 2009 the demand for our services – from children and adults alike – has grown incredibly. We have been fortunate to have great support from donors such as PhysioNet UK and Vodafone, as well as Motivation Australia who have trained our therapy staff. But if we are to meet the demand and continue to change the lives of people like Talei and Yash we need continued support from the public and private sectors.”
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