Joni and Friends Sees the Urgent Need for Pediatric Wheelchairs

Around the world, the majority of children who need wheelchairs have to do without… 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the 80 million people who need a wheelchair, only 5–35% have access to one, depending on the country in which they live. In low-income countries, as few as 3% of people have access to the mobility assistive products they need.  

For a child, the lack of a wheelchair not only causes immediate strain and suffering—it can lead to lasting harm. Instead of going to school, making friends, and experiencing the dignity and belonging they deserve, children who don’t have access to a wheelchair get left out and isolated. As the WHO puts it: 

“For children, wheelchairs provide a sense of freedom, independence, and inclusion necessary for their physical, emotional, and social development.” 

Lack of access to pediatric wheelchairs hurts children, families, and entire communities. 

In developing countries, limited income and access to medical services and mobility equipment can make it impossible for parents to meet their children’s most basic needs. Often caregivers pour out their lives, sacrifice the opportunity to earn income, and wear out their own bodies to compensate for the lack of mobility equipment and support that their families face. As United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell explained, according to their Global report on assistive technology (a collaboration with the WHO): 

“Nearly 240 million children have disabilities. Denying children the right to the products they need to thrive doesn’t only harm individual children, it deprives families and their communities of everything they could contribute if their needs were met. 

Without access to assistive technology, children with disabilities will continue to miss out on their education, continue to be at a greater risk of child labor and continue to be subjected to stigma and discrimination, undermining their confidence and wellbeing.” 

Serving people living with disabilities in countries across the globe, Joni and Friends staff and volunteers often meet caregivers who carry children in their arms or on their backs, even as heavy teenagers. We even see people resort to transporting a child in an outgrown stroller, on a mattress, or in a wheelbarrow. 

Wheels for the World™: A Response to a Critical Global Need 

“The need for a wheelchair and the hope of Christ is growing every year. I know, because even after every Wheels for the World outreach, every single one that I go on, we leave hundreds more waiting. And sadly, most are children.”

– Jason Holden (Joni and Friends executive)

Joni and Friends sees the urgent need for wheelchairs—particularly pediatric wheelchairs—to relieve the suffering of children and families living with disability. That’s why, through Wheels for the World, we change lives by hand-delivering wheelchairs and Bibles to people with disabilities in developing countries.   

Since its launch, Wheels for the World teams have provided more than 225,000 wheelchairs to people with disabilities, many of them children, who might never otherwise access one. Each wheelchair gets hand-delivered and custom-fitted by qualified seating therapists to its recipient. And every person and family served also hears the Gospel from a local pastor and receives a Bible in their language. 

Innovating to Better Meet the Need 

Joni and Friends pediatric wheelchairs include multiple models and come from a variety of sources. Sometimes a family who has lost a child will bless a family in need by donating their loved one’s wheelchair. A family whose child has outgrown their manual wheelchair might also donate it to help others. 

But with the need for pediatric wheelchairs far outpacing the rate of donations received, Joni and Friends is sourcing specialty mobility equipment in new ways.

Working with likeminded organizations, we have participated in the development of customizable child-size wheelchairs for distribution at Wheels for the World outreaches. The latest innovative design—the Cub wheelchair—provides a new array of features that serve people living in developing countries particularly well. 

The Cub wheelchair was designed to come apart easily so it can be carried and transported with minimal effort, even in developing countries where many families use public transportation—needing to fold up a wheelchair to fit on a bus or a motorized scooter. This wheelchair’s tilt-in-space function and adjustable features provide comfort and flexibility to children who lack muscle control and balance, making it possible to sit at the family dinner table and participate in school.  

A third-wheel attachment offers safety and control navigating rough, uneven ground. And for families who live in small spaces (often with tight door frames), the Cub chair doesn’t have to get left outside where it’s likely to be damaged or stolen. Best of all, this wheelchair can be adjusted to grow with a child, serving them well for years to come. 

You can change the life of a child with a disability! 

The Cub wheelchair is already transforming daily life for children and families in Uganda, Guatemala, Thailand, and the Philippines. And Cub chairs only represent a fraction of the children and families who receive mobility, Bibles, and hope in Jesus through Wheels for the World. 

With the Cub chair, and every pediatric wheelchair Joni and Friends lovingly delivers, we work to realize our kingdom vision of a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ.