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Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and the Phi Kappa Mu, a medical fraternity of the University of the Philippines, donate 1,100 wheelchairs to physically-challenged residents of the City of Manila. (Photo by KJ ROSALES)
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UP College of Medicine’s premier medical fraternity, Phi Kappa Mu (PHI), in coordination with the City Government of Manila, Saturday spearheaded the “Wheel in the Hope,” an advocacy walk from Museo Pambata to Rajah Sulayman, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.
Wheel in the Hope is part of the PHI mission dubbed “Empowerment through Mobility” to supply easy-to-construct wheelchairs to indigent Filipino patients who are in need of a wheelchair. The advocacy walk served as an eye-opener to the public, aiming to empower the disabled, and to create awareness and inspire people to help the underserved citizens.
Past beneficiaries joined the walk in Roxas Blvd. in support of the project. Mayor Alfredo Lim and representatives from partner institutions such as the City Government of Manila, the Philippine General Hospital, Sulu Hospital, and East Avenue Medical Center graced the event.
Launched in 2007, the “Empowerment through Mobility” project is the brainchild of PHI member John Paul Mariñas. In its first year, 550 wheelchairs were distributed nationwide, while 1,100 wheelchairs were given away the following year. Because of the success of the first two runs, PHI decided to continue with their advocacy. With the help of their “brods,” they were able to widen their scope this year and reach people living in remote areas in Visayas and Mindanao. This year, another 1,100 people will benefit from the project.
The project is funded mostly by donation from the PHI International. PHI International is a non-profit, non-stock corporation aiming to support projects undertaken by the resident body. Partner organizations and institutions also gave monetary fund to PHI for this project. Meanwhile, the wheelchairs are being supplied by the Free Wheelchair Mission, a US-based international non-profit Christian organization. The wheelchairs are produced in China and are assembled by PHI members here in the Philippines.
The group mostly targets elderly people who are paralyzed and unable to walk, either because they were born without legs or have lost their legs in an accident.
