Mavis Hyde .. an inspiration to us all

Submitted by Capt Yaw

Medicine on the Move is not an island, and we stand firmly with many other organisations with similar aims and objectives. One thing that MoM is able to do that many others are simply unable to achieve is to reach the infra-structurally isolated communities in new and innovative ways. Mavis Hyde is the founder of a small but essential charity called Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas (DESO). Mavis may be in her 70's, but she bounces like a kangaroo on Red Bull, her energy contagious to all around her.

On arriving at the airfield in her old truck the other day, she came proudly with her friends - one gentleman, with severe polio from an early age, dropped from the vehicle and moved swiftly on his hands, swinging his withered legs beneath him and then gently raising himself onto a bench. Another chap wore leg braces and then there was her youngest member of the group, a lad without hearing nor speech, but with a smile and spirit that showed potential - energy to its fullest - possibly caught from being in the proximity of Mavis! Mavis and her entourage enjoyed a visit to the airfield and watching the aircraft, but that is not all. She brought gifts to go to the rural communities - valuable gifts at that!


Wheelchairs, walking sticks, walking frames and crutches - all donated from the UK for free and cleared from the port in Tema at a ridiculous price (which is why we no longer accept donated items). Emmanuella received the items with a smile and assured Mavis that good homes would be found for the items. We also discussed possibilities of constructing suitable low-cost aids locally - perhaps making it more attractive than shipping end-of life items here for short-term relief in the communities.

Some of these items will be distributed at the forthcoming meeting to be held at Kpong for the rural communities we have regular contact with.

Medicine on the Move is actively seeking further collaborative actions, with other like minded organisations, ensuring that we maximise the potential that we have developed to reach rural places in an efficient manner and making full use of our facilities at Kpong. Changing more and more lives. one flight at a time...

DESO

Submitted by Michaela Sholes

I was encouraged in such a special way today, when we had some staff and children from an NGO in Tema come to visit today. Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas (DESO) is an organization that works to provide specialized equipment for the many Ghanaian men, women, and children who are affected by physical disabilities. Their energetic group (which included a little boy who is mute, a teacher whose legs were crippled by polio, and a gentleman who also utilizes a metal brace to stabilize his leg) was so inspiring to me for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the non-verbal communication of the grinning little boy as he pointed to the planes flying their circuits, completely mesmerized. It made his day later on when one of our flying students let him try on a headset! I loved hearing from the teacher about how he is heading this school for other disabled children and how he doesn't consider himself to be disabled at all because of his mindset which focuses on what he CAN do, rather than what he can't.

Although the Ghanaian national campaign against polio has seen great successes against the disease, there are still a great many around Ghana who suffer from the challenges of physical disabilities as well as the stigma associated with it. Unfortunately, many times a deformity or abnormality may be called "witchcraft" or something to that effect, limiting that person's access to support structures and other resources. While disabilities anywhere present a unique set of challenges for the individual, there are especially few resources available to them here in Ghana which can leave them particularly vulnerable in terms of education and future possibilities. Health education is about more than just increasing awareness about disease prevention and treatment, but should also include advocacy to encourage integration in place of segregation