Uraj experiments awkwardly with the hand-propelled tricycle.
“His grip is good. He’ll be sore tomorrow but he’ll get the hang of this,” said Bruce Burk, a Christian worker in Nepal who designed the trike after seeing how difficult it was for Uraj and other physically disabled individuals to travel in their villages.
Uraj survived polio but was left with withered legs and a limited future. Though the tricycle will take some getting used to, it will offer him an independence he’s never known. Instead of crawling along the ground or moving awkwardly with the aid of others, he’ll ride comfortably upright along the rough roads of his village.
Burk and his wife, Sherri, want to help the disabled find dignity and independence. With a grant from Baptist Global Response, the Burks ran a welding shop called Hope Haven in Dharan, Nepal. Hope Haven built tricycles especially designed for those who do not have use of their legs.
Even those who are not disabled find it difficult to travel rural Nepali roads while dodging water buffalo. Navigating the congested city streets, where buses, trucks, motorcycles and rickshaws compete for progress, can be nearly impossible for the more than 300,000 physically disabled in Nepal.
The tricycles are sturdy enough to withstand the rough roads, plus big enough to protect their rider and carry packages. Burk’s design makes it possible for people to get to school, work, church and the market on their own — opening new roads of hope and opportunity. The trikes are lighter than similar models and blend in with the rickshaws that crowd the roads.
Each tricycle cost around 15,000 Nepali rupees (around $200) to build, but Hope Haven sold them for only 1,500 (about $20). Burk explained that he charged people and their families because he wanted them to feel ownership.
“If they pay for it, they respect it. But 1,500 rupees will take them four to six weeks of begging among their families to even come up with that much. To come up with 15,000 would take years, if they ever could.”
Southern Baptists made it possible for Hope Haven to build and distribute the trikes, even though Hope Haven lost money on every sale. The changed lives and resultant hope were worth it.
Gangaram is a skilled worker with small electronics, but he had to wait for customers to bring him an item to repair. His lack of mobility made it difficult for him to make enough money to support himself and his family. When he received his tricycle, he said, “Now I can go where the work is on my own. Everyone in my family will be helped.”
A father told how his tricycle is allowing him to take his children to school. Now his children have the opportunity for an education, and he has the joy of being a part of their lives.
A young boy was getting too big for his mother to carry. She was afraid he would become confined to his home like many other disabled. With his tricycle, he has the freedom to move around outside, leaving behind a life trapped within the walls of his house.
A young man called the Burks to say, “I just took my school tests and passed! I never could have done this without the tricycle.”
Tricycle recipients weren’t the only ones to benefit from Hope Haven. Burk hired only people who are disabled or are advocates for the disabled. “It’s not about me training up workers for my production; it’s about building up people,” Burk said.
“We have had three deaf workers, two polio survivors and two who were advocates for disabled ministries. None of them had any fabrication or welding skills when they started. The confidence gained from the training has allowed some to choose other types of work,” he said. One deaf worker saved his money and opened his own shop after Burk taught him to weld.
Another worker, Dundaa, “quickly learned the fabrication and welding skills. Yet he watched as I would custom fit the units to the individual,” Burk said.
“One day, he asked if he could do the custom fit. He did an excellent job of evaluating the individual and then made the correct adjustments. Because of his ability, I was able to turn the entire production over to the workers.”
In Nepal, hope comes to some on three wheels, and Southern Baptists have helped bring it. (BGR)
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