Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I am running the London Marathon for a very worthwhile charity called Physionet that recycles adult and children disability equipment and sends it to countries with major unsatisfied need for this kind of equipment.
Disability is a massive global problem with 350 million adults and children in the Commonwealth disabled in some way. In one West African country, for example, there are children age 12 who have spent their whole lives lying on a floor with spinal defects that could be helped to lead a half-normal life Meanwhile, in countries like the UK, equipment is discarded or outdated and ends up in dumps or metal recycling. Physionet CIO was established 20 years ago to collect and send this prior-used equipment, checked and cleaned, to countries around the world. To date 180 container load containing in excess of 100,000 items has been sent to 35 countries. No charge is made for the equipment.
We are entirely staffed by volunteers but need donations to cover our operating costs, to subsidise freight costs in certain circumstances, and to send physiotherapists overseas to help fit equipment and train national staff in the care of disabled people. With the general decline in international aid, the plight of disabled people worldwide is deteriorating and charities such as Physionet need to fill the vacuum.
