Care group gets wheelchairs

AFTER almost a year of waiting for promised donations, non – governmental organisation WeCARe! decided to buy the wheelchairs they needed.
“There was a long wait before we could do this – the chairs have to be imported. At last we have been able to buy four wheelchairs – one large for a young man in his 20s, and three smaller ones for children,” Father John Glynn, a long-time Irish missionary in Papua New Guinea, said.
Valued at more than A$3,000 (K6,518), the money was from a donation they received last Christmas from lawyer Greg Shepherd and his family, who have returned to Australia.
In his last newsletter, Fr John wrote about young woman who was kept locked away in total darkness in a little hut while her parents went to the market each day.
Fr John said it had seemed that their visit to Joyce, which included smashing the lock on the door of her hut to get her out and filming their meeting, had a profound effect on the father.
“He does not lock Joyce in anymore.
He doesn’t want us to pay for the lock and he allows Joyce’s mum to stay home and look after her,” he said.
“One of the wheelchairs we are getting from Australia is for Joyce.”
He said it would enable her to be wheeled down the street to a care group every day, where she would be looked after, fed, washed, given clothing, get a bit of schooling and enjoy the company of children and young people at the care group.
 The care mother of the group has already done a course at the Chesire disAbility Services on looking after disabled children.
“In settlements, they are looked after by their poverty stricken families and by a care group that is supported by WeCARe!,” he said.
In early August, the group will take delivery of four more wheelchairs that will be donated by friends of WeCARe! in Australia.