New Wheels

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic

1 April 2010

“I received my first wheelchair when I was 11 years old,” said Jose “Riqui” Perez, a young father who lives in an overcrowded corner of Santo Domingo. “Before that, life was very uncomfortable. A person without a wheelchair can’t get integrated into society and doesn’t feel like they are a part of humanity. I never went out. I never saw the street. I didn’t have friends. After I received my first wheelchair, doors opened to me. I began to make friends, got my first job, then formed a family.”

Riqui has put countless miles on his old wheelchair—commuting to work eight kilometers each way. The seat was torn and completely worn out. One front wheel was missing and the main tires were badly worn. But his situation changed when he received a new Roughrider® wheelchair donated by LDS Charities.

“Riqui has improved a lot with the wheelchair, said Rosa Peña, the executive director of CONADIS and Riqui’s employer. “It has really improved his quality of life.”

When Riqui started to work at CONADIS, the Dominican agency that helps coordinate all disability-related issues in the country, Rosa said he was very morose and was assigned menial tasks. Now he is the receptionist—the first person visitors meet—and he glows with hope and enthusiasm. “Humanitarian Services has improved the status of many people in this country,” said Rosa. “We’ve solved many problems with the services that are provided. When a person receives a wheelchair, it’s like giving them legs.”

Rosa Lina, director of ASODIFIMO, another Humanitarian Services partner, knows the plight of the disabled firsthand—she was confined to a wheelchair following a botched surgery that left her paralyzed. “The relationship between ASODIFIMO and the Church has been very fruitful,” she said. “We truly value our association.”