Meet Ayuba
Ayuba Gufwan is a polio survivor living in Jos Nigeria.
He was given his first wheelchair at the age of 17 he was able to start school and an education which took him through a University Degree.
When he returned to Jos he decided he wanted to start a workshop and advocacy program to help the many polio survivors in the area of Jos. He called this workshop the Handicapped Advocacy and Rehabilitation Center. They build hand crank wheelchairs and give them free to Polio Survivors who.
Otherwise, like Ayuba, would be relegated to a life lived in the dust and degradation of shame, exclusion and poverty. Ayuba’s vision was that one day perhaps all the polio survivors in his region would go to school, get good jobs, marry and enjoy fulfilling and productive lives. He knew this was possible and was committed to living a life in pursuit of his dream.
Ayuba’s vision included a business plan with four central tenets:
That the wheelchairs he built would be given free of charge to polio survivors.
Parts and equipment procured in Nigeria eliminating the cost of shipping, import fees and customs red tape.
All construction carried out by Nigerians in Nigeria assuring jobs and a contribution to the local economy.
That his wheelchairs would be suitable for the rough Nigerian terrain while being specifically constructed to be suitable for the unique needs and capabilities of polio survivors.
Today he has a wife, two healthy little girls and drives a car. He loves to make phone calls all over the world to his friends who support the workshop’s wheelchair production and has made several trips to Rotary International conventions here in the states.