Why on Earth Do People Still Have Polio in 2007?

Today Mengo Youth Development Link co-sponsored an event with a Korean organization called Little Jesus International Gibbun Woori World and a Ugandan organization called Able the Disabled. It was an advocacy event to bring awareness to the community about the plight of the disabled. In Uganda, there are quite a number of people with disabilities. Many of them are homeless and live on the streets, trying to sustain their livelihoods through begging.
The saddest part of their illness is that much of it could have been prevented. Most westerners are not familiar with polio because we have been getting immunized for it for decades. Unfortunately, many families are too poor to immunize their children and many of them end up suffering from polio, severely handicapping them.
These three organizations decided to come together to donate wheelchairs to people with disabilities who have been struggling to transport themselves around town. Virtually none of the country is sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities and no accommodations are made for them. The recipients were ecstatic and blessed to receive the wheelchairs because life would be much easier for them. Since many of them were unable to walk on their legs because they were too weak or they had none, they walked on their hands. Many were unable to afford even crutches. It was very sad to see so many people in such a condition walk into the event, but it was very fulfilling to see them so happy for their gift once they left.
Of course not even was happy about the event. The recipients of the wheelchair were required to register for the event before they came to ensure that they had enough wheelchairs. However, when the word spread that wheelchairs were being given out for free, many people who were not pre-registered for the event came to try and get one. It was very difficult having to turn people away, but the organizers had a protocol to follow. Another challenged faced with the event was in the wheelchairs themselves. They were made too small for some people and they couldn’t fit into them. However, because of their financial situation, they were not willing to give them back to the organizers. They would rather keep them and try to sell them for profit or exchange them for ones that fit. It would have been nice if everyone who came was able to be served and to their satisfaction, but these are the challenges faced in many development projects, especially ones that are catering to communities where equipment needs to be custom made to fit them.