The Luke 14 Project: Where Disability is Seen as a Curse

By Joni and Friends|Published On: May 22, 2020|Categories: Wheels For The World|

The Luke 14 Project is transforming the lives of children and families living in isolation around the world.

As part of our monthly giving community, you are providing hope to the hurting in places around the world where disability is seen as a curse.

In Haiti, a country faced with ongoing challenges of political turmoil and poverty, Louie Pierre Oujee was born with a disability—his legs were outstretched and he had no feeling below the knee.

Unable to walk, Louie is now 5 years old and can only get around by pushing on his hands through the dirt as he drags his body behind him across the ground. Dirty, isolated and rejected, this little boy has had to endure the unthinkable stigma and shame of living with a disability in a culture where physical impairment is viewed as a curse.

Louie’s parents are doing the best they can to provide for their family—they live miles away from him in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. As any 5 year old would, Louie really misses his mom and dad and it’s hard for him to understand why he rarely gets to see them. But at home, Louie’s Aunt Valengie and her mom tend to Louie’s physical needs as best they can. Sadly, even with Louie’s parents working far away in the capital, no one in the family is able to afford the wheelchair that Louie desperately needs to get out of the dirt and continue his education.

He dreams of one day being an economist, but without a wheelchair to use as he grows, Louie will be left behind.

In desperate need, Valengie and her cousin, Petier, discovered the opportunity to bring Louie to a Joni and Friends Wheels for the World outreach. This was their only chance to get a wheelchair for Louie—a real opportunity of hope. And because of your commitment to providing hope and dignity through the Luke 14 Project, they did!

When Louie was fitted in his brand-new wheelchair, he could not contain his overflowing joy. A big beautiful smile spread across his face as he received even more: the Joni book in his language and a Bible filled with God’s truth that Louie is wonderfully made. Your partnership in the Luke 14 Project let Louie know that he is not alone and he is not cursed.

Louie is now out of the dirt and has a message for you:

“I love my wheelchair—thank you! I will show my friends at school.”

This wheelchair has given him access to his community and the ability to continue his education. But through your generosity, he received the most important gift of all…the hope of Jesus! Louie now knows that he is beautifully and wonderfully made; he is loved by our Creator.

Thank you for being a friend to children who are rejected and isolated, like Louie. Each month through the Luke 14 Project, you are sending real hope to those who are lonely and broken.