Years back, I met Margrith Gloor, whose husband was connected with Zuellig. My sister introduced us because I’m disabled and she (MG) was bent on coming up with a “wheelmobile” for people like me who are in wheelchairs and can’t go around unless someone took us. She wanted to raise funds to be able to come up with one and her plan to this end was to distribute brochures and letters promoting her vision.
Margrith was determined. She saw the need, the unmet need of the disabled and she wanted to create a solution. She invited friends to be part of COFFI (Circle of Friends) so they could raise funds together through concerts and solicitation letters to various individuals, groups and entities. That she succeeded in this hard task has its proof in the 3 (or is it 4?) Wheelmobiles available for hire for a fee. The schedule of charges is as follows: P350 for the first hour of use and P250 per hour thereafter. If the use of the vehicle is around lunch or dinner, the person hiring it is expected to give the driver P100 for his meal.
True, the service does not come cheap but once in a while it is worth availing of. Had this service been available years back, I might be in an office working now, rather than here at home. Because then I’d have had a means to go to work without being a burden to my husband. Oh well, that’s water under the bridge. But at least, because of the Wheelmobile, I can go to lunches or anywhere my heart desires even when my husband is not free or seems uninclined. All i have to do is dial 811 2237. Is that shameless plugging? I hope you won’t think so. I just want to share this info with people similarly situated as I or with their families who might be unable to bring their disabled relatives to their destination of choice on certain occasions. There exists an option and it’s called the Wheelmobile. It is very liberating.
Some pictures:
Note: inside the van (sometimes I refer to it as a truck because some versions are bigger than this), the wheelchair is fastened to the floor, after which the person in it is “tucked in” via two seat belts that cross in front of the person.
So there.
