I am very excited to announce that I will be travelling with the Through the Roof team to Kenya again!

Through the Roof take refurbished second hand wheelchairs from Britain to developing nations where they distribute to people who need them and who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to acquire them. Occupational therapists and physiotherapists like myself assist by assessing each person who needs a wheelchair to prescribe the correct seating. After the wheelchair has been provided, the charity follow up at regular intervals to ensure that the wheelchair remains appropriate for the user.

I had the very great honour of serving with the team last May. It was an extremely fulfilling and humbling experience. Many of the Kenyan people we met arrived at our centre either crawling or being carried by loved ones. They were looking anxious but hopeful. They left our centre wheeling themselves independently and with huge smiles on their faces. Some of the people with more severe conditions had spent most of their lives in their homes. Since birth, they had been lying down with only a ceiling for a view. Rarely would other people’s faces come into view and when they did, they would be faces which look downwards upon them. So imagine if you can, the extraordinary change of perspective on the world when our patients suddenly can sit up and see the worl horizontally. One young man in particular had a learning disability and had had this very experience. He beamed at everyone around him. Friends and family he could finally see on the same level as them. Not only that, but he would finally be able to leave his home safely and see what the “outside world” looks like!

Our time in Kenya was completely blessed by God. I could mention so many stories of lives which had been so positively impacted. In fact, if I haven’t bored you with enough stories already – I challenge you to ask me for more! However it is worth mentioning that between the four therapists we saw 160 people over six days and gave out nearly 140 wheelchairs and walking aids to the rest. I can’t wait to go again! 

All the therapists need to raise their own funds to attend and serve on the trips.

I am planning to attend a trip to Kenya in February 2016. I hope you can come alongside me as I prepare for this adventure. Any donations and/or prayers are gratefully received no matter how great or small. Also, I would be so grateful if you could share the details of this site on social media! Thank you!

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