Wheelchairs give mobility, independence to Luuka PWDs

LUUKA - For many persons living with disabilities in Luuka District, moving from one place to another has long been a painful daily struggle.

Simple activities such as going to school, visiting a health centre, attending community meetings or travelling to nearby trading centres often depended on the mercy and availability of relatives willing to carry them.

For years, some missed medical appointments, dropped out of school or stayed confined to their homes because they lacked mobility support.

Now, hope has arrived for dozens of residents after the donation of 60 wheelchairs that beneficiaries say will transform their lives and restore their dignity.

Richard Vanveem Isiko, 49, a resident of Waibuga B Village in Waibuga Sub-county, described life before receiving the wheelchair as exhausting and humiliating.

“I either had to crawl around or be carried by people to reach where I wanted to go. The people helping me would eventually get tired, and this limited my participation in community activities,” he said.

Isiko, who keeps poultry for a living, said his disability had greatly affected his business because he depended on other people to feed the birds, clean the poultry houses and make sales on his behalf.

“This often left me making losses because the work would not be done the way I wanted. If I had proper mobility, I would manage most of these activities myself,” he explained.

He painfully recalled one incident when he was getting home from the trading centre and heavy rain started falling unexpectedly.

“It rained heavily on me. I could not move faster or find anyone to help me. I was completely stranded,” he said.

Isiko is among the persons with disabilities who received wheelchairs donated by Amref Health Africa Uganda and the Medical Research Council (MRC), in partnership with Hope Health Action (HHA), a Christian non-governmental organisation.

Each wheelchair is valued at about sh1.2m.

Speaking during the handover ceremony at Luuka District headquarters on Thursday, Margaret Mugisa, the Project Manager at Amref Health Africa Uganda, said the donation followed years of engagement with persons with disabilities in the district under the Missing Billion Project.

She explained that the project mobilised persons with disabilities into 55 groups across almost all sub-counties in Luuka to help improve their economic independence and access to healthcare services.

“We organised groups consisting of 25 to 30 members and equipped them with skills to improve their livelihoods and healthcare access,” Mugisa said.

Some of the beneficiaries of the donated wheelchairs with officials of Luuka district, Amref Health Africa, Medical Research Council and Hope Health Africa. This was during the official handover of the wheelchairs at the district headquarters on May 7, 2026. (Credit: Lawrence Mulondo)

However, while working with the groups, the implementing organisations discovered that mobility remained one of the biggest barriers preventing many members from benefiting fully.

“Some members had to be carried to attend meetings or access health centres. That confirmed to us how serious the mobility challenge was,” she said.

Mugisa explained that although the project initially lacked funds to purchase assistive devices, the organisations later partnered with Hope Health Action, which donated the wheelchairs.

She said beneficiaries were first assessed individually to ensure each wheelchair matched their specific mobility needs.

“These wheelchairs are not ordinary donations. Each recipient was assessed to ensure they receive a wheelchair that suits their condition and provides comfort,” she said.

Mugisa added that the organisations would continue searching for support to help persons with other forms of disabilities, including visual and hearing impairments.

“Our objective is to ensure that all persons living with disabilities can access healthcare services because denying them access becomes a double tragedy,” she said.

She urged beneficiaries to take good care of the wheelchairs and use them to improve their lives economically and socially.

“We have supported your mobility. We now expect you to use these devices to work, empower yourselves and improve your livelihoods,” she added.

Andrew Ssemata, a Senior Research Scientist at MRC, said the wheelchairs would positively change the lives of recipients by restoring independence and confidence.

“It is fulfilling to see persons living with disabilities receive life-changing devices that will improve their quality of life,” he said.

He encouraged beneficiaries to maintain the wheelchairs carefully so they can serve them for many years.

Luuka District Labour Officer Betty Irene Tamwizanga said lack of mobility had denied many persons with disabilities privacy, dignity and independence because they constantly depended on others for support.

“These people have always needed someone else to help them do things they should have done independently,” she said.

Tamwizanga noted that many children with disabilities had been forced to drop out of school because travelling long distances while crawling or depending on helpers became unbearable.

(L-R) Betty Irene Tamwizanga, the Luuka District Labour Officer, Margaret Mugisa, the Project Manager at Amref Health Africa Uganda and Andrew Ssemata, a Senior Research Scientist at Medical Research Council during he official handover of the wheelchairs at the district headquarters on May 7, 2026. (Credit: Lawrence Mulondo)

“You find a child crawling for two or three hours to reach school every day. Some eventually give up and drop out because the struggle becomes too much,” she said.

She expressed optimism that the wheelchairs would help learners stay in school and enable adults engaged in economic activities to access markets and workplaces more easily.

Among the beneficiaries is 20-year-old Nusula Mbedha from Ntandagwe Village in Bulongo Sub-county, who works as an electronics mechanic.

She said transport costs had been draining her income because she depended on boda bodas to move around.

“The wheelchair will help me reach work on time, increase my income and improve my living standards,” she said with a smile.

For 16-year-old Kyakuwa Sawiya from Budoma Central Zone in Bukanga Sub-county, the wheelchair represents a chance to continue pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse.

The Primary Five pupil said she previously spent about sh25,000 daily on transport together with her assistant just to attend school.

“Sometimes we had to remain at school for several days because transport was too expensive,” she said.

Kyakuwa said the wheelchair would not only help her arrive at school on time but also allow her to socialise freely within the community.

“I will now be able to visit my friends and participate in community activities like other children,” she said.

Luuka District Chief Administrative Officer Moses Wangadya praised the donors for supporting vulnerable residents who could not afford such expensive assistive devices.

“With these wheelchairs, beneficiaries will now participate in activities that improve both their lives and their communities,” he said.

Assistant Resident District Commissioner Umar Ntogona also commended the initiative, saying many persons with disabilities in Luuka had failed to work or study because of mobility challenges.

“These wheelchairs are helping government efforts to improve the livelihoods of persons living with disabilities,” he said.

He urged beneficiaries to take responsibility for maintaining the wheelchairs properly so they can serve them for a long time.

For the recipients, however, the donation means far more than mobility. It represents freedom, dignity, opportunity and a renewed sense of belonging in society.