The world is full of people with physical and mental disabilities who struggle daily to have even basic mobility, and children and young adults in low-income countries face an especially daunting set of challenges. They often need wheelchairs made to accommodate their smaller size and the their surrounding’s rough terrain, but very few organizations produce such wheelchairs – even fewer are affordable.
But in times of great need, God shows his great love. LETU’s Frontier Wheelchairs senior design team is working to meet this need in partnership with Hope Haven International, an organization that manufactures specialty pediatric wheelchairs (or KidChairs, as they call them) in Guatemala.
Until now, Hope Haven has only been able to produce wheelchairs equipped for small children, but this year’s Frontier Wheelchairs team is designing a larger version built for older kids and young adults.
Over the last few months, the team has designed, built and tested prototypes of this new chair. Soon the team will be heading to Guatemala to conduct field tests and teach the local manufacturers to build the design themselves. When they return and analyze the data from their field tests, they’ll work on any necessary modifications and send the improvements to the manufacturers. The team leaves on March 9th and will be spending their spring break in Guatemala. Visit the Frontier Wheelchairs page to learn more about how these students are turning their engineering skills into an incredible ministry!
No comments:
Post a Comment