Meet Esther

For seven years, Esther went wherever her mom could carry her.

She lives in Kajo-Keji, a town in South Sudan near the Ugandan border. Esther has cerebral palsy. Until this month, she had never had a wheelchair, and she had never had any kind of specialist rehab support.

So her mom, Awata, carried her. To the garden, to the neighbors, to church. And on the days when that just wasn't possible, Esther stayed home.

In Awata's words

Life before the chair was hard on both of them. Here's how Awata described it to our partners:

"I find it difficult to leave Esther alone because she depends on me for everything. I cannot spend many hours in the garden, and providing the food she needs is also a challenge because she only eats certain foods. Without any source of income, life has been very difficult for our family."

"Before, there were times when I had no choice but to leave her behind at home because carrying her was simply too difficult."

Then Esther got her chair.

"This is the first wheelchair Esther has ever received. It has lifted a huge burden from me. I no longer have to carry her everywhere I go. Now we can visit our neighbours, attend church together, and move around with much more ease."

We see this over and over. A chair changes things for the child, and it changes things for the whole family. Awata gets hours of her day back. Esther gets to go to church. They get to visit the neighbors together.

How the chairs got there

Esther's chair came from a full container of KidChairs that Hope Haven donors helped send to Uganda. It arrived a few weeks ago after a long trip.

Our partners at Hope Health Action took it from there. Some of the chairs have already crossed the border into South Sudan, and their team has started fitting children and handing them out.

That makes this delivery a milestone for us too. South Sudan is the 110th country Hope Haven has served, and Esther is one of the very first children there to receive a chair.

"After such a long journey, it is incredibly special to see the chairs reaching the children they were intended for."
Merren Wallace, Development Director, Hope Health Action

For a child like Esther, the right chair means sitting up, seeing the world at eye level, and going where her family goes.

200 children still waiting

Mogga Moses is Hope Health Action's Lead Wheelchair Technician. For years he has met children like Esther and had no chair that fit them.

When the container arrived, his whole team was thrilled. They called it an answer to prayer.

But Esther is one of many. More than 200 children are on their waiting list right now, in Uganda and South Sudan, and many of their families are doing what Awata did for seven years.

Help the next child

You got Esther here. Every KidChair you help send means one more child rolling to church with her family, and one more mom who doesn't have to choose between carrying her child and leaving her behind.

Give a KidChair

Want to keep giving all year? Become a Mobility Partner.

Thank you for being part of Esther's story.