| UCP WHEELS FOR HUMANITY - INDONESIA |
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| UCP WHEELS FOR HUMANITY RECEIVES A $1.6 MILLION GRANT TO ESTABLISH A WHEELCHAIR MANUFACTURING PLANT IN INDONESIA |
Los Angeles, CA, May 13, 2009 – UCP Wheels for Humanity (UCP WFH) has received a $1.6 million grant from USAID to establish a manufacturing plant where wheelchairs will be assembled for Indonesian children with disabilities.
The grant will enable UCP WFH, a subsidiary of United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties (UCP) to expand its global reach throughout Indonesia. This wheelchair manufacturing operation will be established in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. UCP WFH will be hiring employees with disabilities to manage and run the plant. The end product will be a specialized pediatric wheelchair which will be given, free of charge, to Indonesian children 3-14 years of age.
“The vast majority of Indonesia’s children with disabilities do not attend school; a consequence of their lack of mobility. Most of these children cannot leave their homes and require constant care. This affects their ability to receive an education and have any hope of escaping extreme poverty. Their condition affects the lives of their caregivers as well”, says Ronald S. Cohen, CEO of UCP Wheels for Humanity. “This project will change many lives.”
The project will become a long-term program in Indonesia, by providing broad services to children with disabilities and increasing the expertise of Indonesian physical therapists and occupational therapists. This program has the potential to become a global model for sustainable long-term support of children with disabilities. With their new found mobility children will be able to attend school and become models of empowerment for future generations of children with disabilities.
UCP WFH will collaborate with in-country partner Gadjah Mada University as well as 9 local disability and physical therapy organizations, foundations and hospitals.
To download the press release:
Press Release for May 8, 2009: UCP WHEELS FOR HUMANITY RECEIVES A $1.6 MILLION GRANT TO ESTABLISH A WHEELCHAIR MANUFACTURING PLANT IN INDONESIA |
