Daylight pics of the tuk tuk

Tuk Tuk 1 Complete

Our wheelchair accessible tuk tuk is complete!  This is just the prototype, so we will make some minor changes to the production model.  The last time I was inside one of these tuk tuks, it took three people to get me in and my wheelchair traveled in a separate car.  This time, with Lailith’s help to push up the ramp, I was able to get inside and transfer onto the seat with ease.  Lalith put my wheelchair on the roof rack and we took a test drive around the village.  I felt safe and comfortable.  Tomorrow we will continue the performance and safety tests and show it off to some folks.

A young friend near Vavuniya

This is “P” (name withheld for confidentiality).  I first met P last summer when we traveled around Sri Lanka to learn about challenges facing the disabled community here.  P sustained a C5-level spinal cord injury when the bus he was traveling in struck a pole.  At 20-years-old, P still has many years to live, but he spends his days in a makeshift residential facility on the outskirts of town.  The ten disabled residents here do not go to school, do not work, and except for socializing with each other, rarely interact with the community.  P remembered that we had recently started Global Abilities and were hoping to help disabled people in Sri Lanka, so he asked whether I am here to help him.  I was told by several people that some organizations have come to Sri Lanka, guaranteed lofty goals, failed to deliver, and left the country without really helping the people as they had promised.  Global Abilities is developing a plan to help disabled individuals in Sri Lanka like P reintegrate into their communities, but we have not yet secured the funding to begin our long term projects.  I didn’t want P to get his hopes up in case our fundraising goals fell short and we had to delay our work.  So, although it was heartbreaking to say that I couldn’t help, I told him that we are still trying to figure things out.  I didn’t tell him about our Livelihood project to help disabled people earn a living, and I didn’t even mention that we had already built a wheelchair-accessible vehicle in Sri Lanka.  I did tell him that I would see him again, that we will grow as friends, and reminded him that one day I hope to be invited to his wedding.

Tuk Tuk 2

We have been progressing on the prototype tuk tuk better than expected, so we are moving ahead with the first production model.  GAF plans to build four production models this year.  These will be placed at hospitals and rehabilitation facilities in Sri Lanka to help transport their residents in wheelchairs.  A few days ago, we inspected a used tuk tuk available for sale.  This one is five years newer and in much better condition than what our prototype was when we first saw it.  Today, we bought the vehicle, and Lalith plans to start working on it on Monday.

Disability Life in Sri Lanka

A few people have asked me for some context of people with disabilities in Sri Lanka.   The picture here was taken during our research trip last summer.  Unfortunately, the only people with disabilities that we saw out in the community were very poor and relied on handouts from the public.  Except for a handful of exceptions that we heard of, the disabled individuals in Sri Lanka who are not begging in the streets are either in long term care facilities, or at home without access to their communities.  People with disabilities here are socially isolated and dependent on their families for their care.  THIS is what we hope to change.  It will take a long time, but Global Abilities is committed to helping disabled individuals to get better access to their communities, to become economically self-sufficient, and to become active, engaged citizens in society.