Stories:
Laghman Province
Afghanistan
February 09, 2005
It was worth to see the feelings of a man who received a wheelchair from LIFE during the distribution of wheelchairs in Laghman Province. He lost his both legs 6 years before in a landmine blast. He was so happy with this wheelchair he said it was as if he received a brand new vehicle. He told LIFE staff that he used to work for daily wages as a laborer in the fields every day. One day as he was working as usual in the fields he stepped on a landmine and lost both legs. He said that Russian forces put millions of landmines in the fields to stop people from working in the fields. As he is a poor man feeding a family of eight people so he was supposed to work in the fields knowing the risk of landmines. After recovery he started to sell vegetables in the market to feed his small children and family but he needed someone who could carry him to the vegetable market and back home. Every day his brother-in-law was taking him to and from the vegetable market. Sometimes his brother-in-law didn't come to take him and that day the family was hardly having food. He was hardly feeding his family from the income he was receiving from selling the vegetables so he couldn't buy a wheelchair for himself. When he received the wheelchair his joy was priceless because he said he now has legs again and he would not be in need of any one to take him to the vegetable market and he can go on time by himself and come back. He was really praising and appreciating Wheelchair Foundation and LIFE for their generous and valuable donation of his wheelchair. He said that his whole family and children will remember this donation from the Wheelchair Foundation and LIFE for their whole lives because it became a source for their survival.
