Tricycles, Wheelchairs and Home

Rotary Tricycles and Wheelchairs

Mobility is a problem for those who have had severe Polio. Rotary has sought to alleviate this by providing hand powered tricycles

such as this. There are handles on each side connected to a wheel by a long chain. Steering and braking is done using a handle at the front. Hence you steer / brake with one hand and provide power to one wheel with the other.

We were invited to a ceremony during which a number of tricycles (costing about £80 each) were to be presented to invalids.

The tricycles were made in India

and are quite easy to drive although I never really got the hand of steering and powering at the same time.

Rotary also provides wheelchairs (at a cost of about £50)

and a number were to be presented at the same ceremony.

This ceremony marked the end of our polio activities in India and the following day we flew back to the UK.

The route was almost a reverse to that on the way out

although the journey back was during daylight and so we had some beautiful views when the cloud cover allowed.

This was our third NID and because to the slight local opposition to vaccination and the need to actively find children to vaccinate, probably the most challenging of the three. We found it very rewarding and I know this was also the opinion of the rest of the team.

Hopefully we will be able to return to India in 2016 to take part in another National Immunisation Day.