Chevron has sponsored the delivery of wheelchairs to the most disabled country in the world.
Posts
Strengthening its commitment to sub-Saharan Africa, the Wheelchair Foundation, in partnership with ChevronTexaco and the Dallas, Texas District of Rotary International, will give more than 950 wheelchairs to Angolans injured by landmines. ChevronTexaco is the parent company of Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (Cabgoc) the operator of Block 0 in Angola, representing the members of the Cabinda Association, Sonangol, Total and Eni.
The donation, which will be made Tuesday, December 16, 2003 in Luanda, Angola, will bring the number of wheelchairs the organization has distributed in the war-torn country to 3,240.
First Lady Ana Paula dos Santos, whose Lwini Foundation has worked to provide wheelchairs to Angolans injured by landmines, will attend the distribution on behalf of the Angolan government. Mrs. dos Santos has elevated public awareness of the dangers of landmines through her support of the late Princess Diana’s worldwide campaign to ban the hidden explosives.
“Our sincere hope is that these wheelchairs, more than simply providing mobility, will restore dignity, hope, and freedom to a people who have suffered so deeply from the ill effects of war in recent years,” said Joel Hodge, regional operations director for the Wheelchair Foundation.
Angola has more disabled citizens per capita than any other country in the world. An estimated 20 percent of the country’s 12 million people are physically impaired, many as a result of injuries from landmines left over from years of civil war.
ChevronTexaco and the Dallas Rotarians, who have been longtime supporters of the Wheelchair Foundation, have a strong commitment to helping improve the lives of the disabled around the globe.
“When you see the gratitude on the faces of the wheelchair recipients, you understand how meaningful this contribution is to them,” said Jim Blackwell, managing director of the Southern Africa Business Unit of ChevronTexaco. “We’re pleased to participate in this life-changing program.”
This is ChevronTexaco’s third contribution of wheelchairs in the past four years and is part of the company’s initiative to partner with communities around the globe where it conducts business.
“All we can do is our small part, but what a part it is,” said Oran Bain, international service director for Rotary District 5810. “With 26,000 people injured or killed by landmines around the world each year, I can’t think of a better investment of our resources than with the gift of a wheelchair.”
The Wheelchair Foundation was founded in 2000 by Kenneth E. Behring, an American philanthropist, after he saw the look of hope in a young Romanian girl’s eyes when she received a wheelchair. Since its inception, the Foundation has delivered more than 200,000 wheelchairs to every corner of the globe, including a recent distribution of 5,000 wheelchairs to Afghanistan.
The Rotary Club of Los Angeles has matched ChevronTexaco’s sponsorship of 240 wheelchairs, which is then being matched by the Wheelchair Foundation to deliver the first 960 of 1,920 wheelchairs to Angola. Other Rotary Clubs will match the balance of the ChevronTexaco donation.
Located on the Atlantic Coast of Southern Africa, Angola has been plagued by civil war ever since its independence from Portuguese colonialism in 1975. The warring factions have brought about as many as 1.5 million deaths and the United Nations estimates that there are currently 2.7 million Angolan refugees. The average Angolan has a life expectancy of only 38.5 years.
From the standpoint of disability, the situation is equally dire. Millions of landmines lurk beneath the country’s soil, killing and maiming thousands of Angolans per year. A 1995 UN study estimated there were 70,000 amputees in Angola and, with 4,000 to 6,000 new victims per year, the number is steadily rising. It is these statistics that bring Angola the chilling distinction of having the world’s most disabled population. It is estimated that 20% of the 12 million people of Angola are disabled.
The Wheelchair Foundation thanks ChevronTexaco USA and Angola for sponsoring the shipment of wheelchairs to Angola. In June of 2001, the Wheelchair Foundation team was welcomed to Luanda, Angola by ChevronTexaco and First Lady Ana Paula dos Santos for our first distribution. Mrs. dos Santos and her Liwini Foundation participated in the distribution of wheelchairs and witnessed firsthand the delivery of hope and mobility to people that once only knew despair.
Liwini and Mrs. dos Santos were most prominently featured in the public spotlight when Princess Diana visited Angola in 1997 to raise awareness of the devastation caused by land mines.
John D. Gass, Managing Director of Chevron in Luanda said, “What I saw was tremendous gratitude and disbelief that they were receiving a wheelchair.” Gass continued, “We want to give something back and be a positive force of change in the communities where we operate. These 240 wheelchairs only scratch the surface here in Angola, and we will have to do more.”
Because of the success of the first 240-wheelchair distribution, ChevronTexaco generously offered to sponsor more wheelchairs to Angola, and the dedicated efforts of Rotarians have provided a match for that donation, and the Wheelchair Foundation is matching both.
Although the fighting has slowed down in recent months, Angola is still listed as one of the world’s most dangerous places to visit. It is by the dedicated efforts of ChevronTexaco and Liwini that the Wheelchair Foundation is able to continue our global mission of changing lives for the better every day. Upon receiving a wheelchair, children, teens and adults are now able to go to school, work, attend worship services or just go outside for the first time in many years or for the first time in their lives.
Thank you to ChevronTexaco and Rotarians worldwide for helping us save lives, one wheelchair at a time.
The Wheelchair Foundation team is currently distributing wheelchairs in Luanda, Angola with Liwini, a humanitarian relief organization formed by Angolan First Lady Ana Paula dos Santos.
Angola is a country that has suffered greatly from devastating civil wars and political unrest in recent years. The population of 12 million people is considered the most disabled in the world with an estimated 20% of the population, or 1.2 million children, teens and adults that have suffered the effects of land mines and other war related injuries. These injuries include polio, which spreads quickly when vaccines are not available due to war.
The Wheelchair Foundation is proud to have Chevron as a sponsor of this 240 wheelchair delivery. Chevron’s long standing relationship with the government of Angola and a commitment to helping the communities in which they have a base of operation, have provided us with the ability to make this delivery happen. The logistical challenges that make a mission of this type difficult have been solved by the dedicated efforts of the Chevron employees in Luanda.
Chevron and the Wheelchair Foundation are taking the first steps toward helping the disabled people of Angola move themselves to a more productive and fulfilling life. Giving 240 people the gifts of hope, mobility and freedom is just the start.