A French Rotary Club project has provided 100 electric wheelchairs to disabled workers in the south of Vietnam.
Manual wheelchairs refitted into electric
After members of the French Rotary Club visited Vietnam in 2009 and saw a large amount of disabled people, many of whom barely eke out a living by selling lottery tickets on the streets of HCM City, they decided to help.
They then formed a partnership with Philippe Metzinger, who ran an electric bicycle company in the city. He agreed to help them convert manual wheelchairs into electric ones, with financing provided by the Rotary Club.
Metzinger said that the conversion process was a challenge, as each wheelchair was different, but required a safe battery casing that could be connected to an engine to power the wheels. Creating an adaptable system turned out to be even more of a hurdle than he originally thought.
Because of modest funding for the project, Metzinger had to use batteries made in Vietnam, which weigh around 8 kilos, instead of French-made ones that weigh only 2.5 kilos.
However, in 2009 he managed to design a pilot system that was installed on ten wheelchairs for lottery ticket sellers from other provinces working in HCM City.
Metzinger (second from the left) and his partners from Rotary Club
With the help of his colleague, Nguyen Minh Chien, Metzinger ultimately succeeded in designing and producing adaptable electrical system.
Tran Kim Phuoc, one of the first beneficiaries, said, “Now using my wheelchair is much easier. I just have to make sure the engine is charged once every four days. It's much easier to get around now, and it has improved my sales."
Another recipient from Quang Ngai commented, "My renovated chair helps because I can travel longer distances. The extra money I earn really helps to support my family."
