This project has been running since 1992 when the Northcliff Rotary Club in South Africa saw a huge community need and set about locating used wheelchairs in Europe. The first consignment of 19 wheelchairs was flown from Holland to Johannesburg, courtesy of KLM.

Unfortunately, further wheelchairs were not forthcoming and a plan had to be put in place for the project to continue. There were desperate individuals unable to move around on a day-to-day basis, for basic survival, never mind getting to and from work.

In September 1992, Northcliff Rotary Club approached Rushmoor Rotary Club in Farnborough, UK, and a wonderful joint venture agreement was put in place. Rushmoor Rotary Club would source, store and load wheelchairs no longer being used here in the UK, and Northcliff Rotary Club would, in turn, pay for the shipping of these wheelchairs to South Africa, and distribute them as required, at no cost to the recipient.

The reason for this campaign is that the costs of shipping have increased significantly over the years, and whilst there has been generous sponsorship in the past, this has sadly now come to an end as a result of the enormous pressure on CSI funding in South Africa. However, the need for these wheelchairs and the need for these people to be able to move around, has not diminished and is as great as it ever was.

The basic human right of mobility, for many disabled and impoverished South Africans, continues to be the focus. To date over 39,000 wheelchairs and innumerable walking aids have been handed out to deserving beneficiaries and it would cause more hardship should the project not be able to source and import these wheelchairs and mobility aids.

There are many success stories from this project already. Below are just two stories that are worth a short read.

A little girl, aged 5 with Spina Bifida, was issued a child's wheelchair. Up to then, she has crawled on her stomach around the house and learned to push herself on a large skateboard. These methods of movement were not enough for her to cope at a normal nursery school. However, once she had received her wheelchair she was able to not only have the gift of mobility, but also that of education as she was able to attend nursery school and will, when older, be able to attend one of the local schools.

An aged man spent 6 months in one room, lying on his back. His wife nursing him, feeding him, cleaning him. He did not see the light of day as he was too heavy for her to move him outside for this. This man received his wheelchair recently and for the first time was able to sit outside with the sun shining down on him. Not only did this give him the gift of mobility, it gave his wife the ability to be his wife again and not just his carer.

You see, our hope is that just these two stories help to explain the wide-reaching impact these wheelchairs have on the lives of these individuals and their families. It costs close to £5000 to ship one consignment to South Africa.

There is no current corporate sponsor for this. Can we as a collective human race help to get the next consignment over. People are desperate, their lives are falling apart, and we CAN and SHOULD be helping to make a difference.

DONATE TODAY! Help to give the basic human right of mobility back to these beautiful people.

Stephen Hawking once said: "Being confined to a wheelchair doesn't bother me as my mind is free to roam the universe, but it felt wonderful to be weightless".