Photos taken by Holly Engelman & David Morton in Pakistan & Afghanistan

Wheels for Humanity was founded in 1996. Since that time, approximately 5,000 wheelchairs and other disability items, have been delivered and fitted to recipients in 28 third world countries. Two ministers of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA), David Morton and Holly Engelman, volunteer and assist Wheels for Humanity in distributing wheelchairs, canes and walkers around the world.

The unique non-profit corporation in North Hollywood was founded by its Executive Director, David Richard, following a trip to Guatemala by his brother, Mark.

“Mark saw a woman cross the road in front of his van, dragging herself by her elbows,” David says. “She had no use of her legs. Her name was Macaria, 31 at the time, and disabled by polio at age 7. Mark later returned to Macaria’s village, where he fitted her and 18 other disabled persons in that area with wheelchairs.”

“There are tens of thousands of Macarias, children and adults, throughout the developing countries who need our help,” says David in a publicity piece. “Childhood diseases, inadequate medical care, accidents and worse — the devastation of war — all contribute to an ongoing need for our personal services.”

Thus, the Wheels for Humanity mission:

“To provide increased self-sufficiency and mobility to persons with disabilities throughout the world, without regard to political affiliation, religious belief or ethnic identity.”

David Richard explains: “In many developing countries, if you can’t walk by yourself, you must crawl or be carried, living a life of confinement on the floor, in the bed or a back room. If you are a working adult who becomes disabled, you may lose your livelihood and jeopardize the lives of your family.”

“We collect used wheelchairs. Partnering with other relief and development agencies and other organizations, we restore and distribute them at no cost to people in places where wheelchairs are unattainable luxuries.”

“We work with community leaders in the villages or towns of developing countries to identify those in greatest need of our help. With the assistance of a health care professional, physical therapist or a rehab-seating specialist, each recipient is matched up with the wheelchair that best fits his or her needs,” he said. “These are countries where the average annual income is $200. A new wheelchair costs several hundred dollars.”

A more recent part of the program is the training of people in the foreign countries to assist the disabled people who are fitted for the wheelchairs. Donated computers are being given to those staff members keeping records and assist in planning for those representatives of Wheels for Humanity in future visits. Donated computers are also used in the training of the disabled so that they can get jobs.

David Morton, Holly Engelman and John Morton recently returned from a Wheels for Humanity-sponsored trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan to distribute wheelchairs and blankets. John Morton is the Spiritual Director of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA) and Founder of the Good Works Foundation. John made the trip with Wheels for Humanity as a personal ministry.

After arriving in Pakistan, the trio first met with members of the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA). Close to the Afghan border in Chaman at the PIMA relief center, they met with other organizations helping with the massive refugee situation.
They included: a group of Islamic doctors from Malaysia, another group of Malaysian Army doctors there for a six-month tour of duty, male and female doctors from South Africa, and three Norwegians representing the United Nations.

David Morton was invited to give a presentation about Wheels for Humanity, and Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rahman, President and General Secretary of the Pakistani Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), welcomed Wheels, The Good Works Foundation and those representing the other organizations.

In officially welcoming the Wheels for Humanity group in Pakistan, Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rahman, said that people of different countries and varying faiths, “have come here to serve the humanity — that’s why we are here, with a single objective to serve mankind. Our hearts are close, and we love each other,” Dr. Hafeez said.

“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks on behalf of PIMA and its members to all of you because I am a believer of the fact that a person who cannot thank his fellow mankind, fellow human beings, cannot make justice to Allah, his creator. You came here to help the needy people to decrease the miseries of the people of this area, and some of you might be knowing the extent of the miseries these people are facing,” the doctor continued.

“While coming to Islamabad, my companion, John Morton, was showing me a story from the newspaper. And we have lots of stories like this. A lady was saying to a journalist that for the last many weeks she had been serving her eight children with food intended for animals. She said she didn’t have rice, milk or bread, just cattle feed. Many of them have just been eating simple bread for the past few months. They are not exposed to the modern world. They haven’t seen anything of this modern world except the bombers who are shelling them and the missiles,” said Dr. Hafeez.

Holly, John and David toured PIMA-supported medical clinics, refugee camps and hospitals. Accompanied occasionally by guards carrying Kalashnikov rifles, David, and Holly distributed wheelchairs, blankets, toys and stuffed animals in Quetta, Pakistan, and in Spin Boldak and Kandahar, Afghanistan.

“You really get to see people (in Afghanistan and Pakistan) trying to raise their kids like families everywhere. They are human beings just like the rest of us,” says Holly.

“There didn’t really seem to be a language barrier. With one lady, I just sat there and held her hand, and she cried, and there was a tremendous release of emotion about what she had been through. And after we got the wheelchair fitted for one of the children, she and her family left, and she was smiling, expressing gratitude with her eyes, and with a wheelchair and stuffed animals we had also given her for her kids,” explains Holly.

“There is much misunderstanding about Islam. It is not just a religion but a way of life. Everyone lives their beliefs. With the doctors from Pakistan, no one is turned away because of a lack of money. Within Islam one is required to help your neighbor if he is hungry or if he is hurting,” David said.

“One of the things about our trip,” Holly said, “was that we created really close relationships and friendships. All of us came forward with the same focus — to help. We went into an unknown country, and came back with friends in Pakistan, who still correspond with us,” she said.

Holly, David Morton and perhaps another MSIA minister or two, will hopefully be returning to Pakistan and Afghanistan in November to distribute more wheelchairs, and possibly more blankets and other supplies.

“Money must be raised from contributions for the wheelchairs, blankets, canes, walkers, medical supplies and trip expenses,” David says.

The November trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan is expected to require about $22,000. Approximately $18,000 will purchase a seagoing container of 250 new wheelchairs shipped directly from Taiwan. David and Holly are usually accompanied on each trip by a physical or occupational therapist and a wheelchair mechanic.

David and Holly have become popular speakers since their return from the trip, recently meeting with a group of wealthy Southern Orange County travelers and expedition participants, all of whom have made trips to a minimum of 100 countries around the world as a requirement to join the club. (There are just more than 314 countries and territories on the planet). David and Holly and Wheels for Humanity were promised enthusiastic support on future projects.

David Morton will be doing a solo 1,500-mile bicycle ride from Seattle, Washington to Santa Monica, California in May to raise $15,000 to buy a new Russian 4-wheel drive van and trailer to transport wheelchairs to the disabled poor in remote villages of Mongolia. He and Holly will be making a 3 week trip to Mongolia in August to distribute the wheelchairs.

The charity bicycle ride can be supported at any amount or one cent a mile for $15, two cents a mile for $30, five cents a mile at $75, 10 cents a mile at $150, 25 cents a mile at $375 or $1 a mile at $1,500, with tax-deductible donations being sent to Wheels for Humanity, Solo Bike Ride, 12750 Raymer St., Unit No. 4, North Hollywood, CA 91604-4229, Tel. (818) 766-8000.

David Morton left Santa Monica on Sunday, March 10, to join David Richard for another 392 wheelchair-distributing trip to Nicaragua for nine days. They worked with the first lady of Nicaragua, Dona Lila de Bolanos, in the presidential palace in Managua giving 130 wheelchairs to the disabled poor. They also did distributions in the towns of Leon and Rivas, and in villages on the volcanic island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua.

Following David Morton’s first trip to Nicaragua, he wrote in the 1997 New Day Herald:

“Eventually our time in Nicaragua came to a close, and we both agreed that if we had more wheelchairs and money we’d be quite happy to stay in Nicaragua just spending our time helping the people. It had turned into the most rewarding two weeks of my life, each day becoming more uplifting than the previous one until everything became just plain fun combined with a profound sense of peace. Strangely enough, before I left Los Angeles, I was in therapy for assorted problems and when I returned I found all those things had melted away. I can only attribute this Grace action to all the love the people of Nicaragua gave to me.”

For more information on Wheels for Humanity, visit their web site at www.wheelsforhumanity.org