For many, it was more than a cart it was freedom

For many, it was more than a cart it was freedom

By George Buule

For years, 72 year old Abdul Matovu’s world had slowly narrowed to painful, exhausting steps.

The father and businessman from Bweyogerere once moved freely as he worked alongside his wife to support their family. But after suffering a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and later surviving an accident that badly damaged his left leg, even walking a short distance became a daily struggle.

“I cannot walk beyond one or two kilometers,” Matovu said softly, seated carefully beside his newly received mobility cart. “My bone got broken and now I have a lot of difficulty walking. I used to be a businessman, but now my wife helps me with almost everything.”

Yet on this day, surrounded by dozens of beneficiaries gathered under the Ramadan Foundation outreach, Matovu smiled with visible relief as volunteers handed over specially designed mobility carts to persons living with disabilities.

“The mobility cart I received today is so nice and easy to ride,” he said, testing the handles with excitement. “It is going to help me with my day-to-day work, even going to the market. It is spacious enough to carry foodstuff. It gives you energy and independence again.”

His wife, who also suffers mobility challenges after an accident left metal implants in her legs, stood nearby watching proudly as he maneuvered the cart for the first time.

Across the gathering, Mariam Nakafu, the women chairperson of Kiganda Zone in Bweyogerere, wiped tears from her face after receiving her own cart.

Nakafu said her life drastically changed after severe injuries forced metal rods into both her legs, leaving her unable to continue the businesses that once sustained her family.

“I used to deal in woolen carpets and office chairs, but my movement became very limited,” she explained. “I have nine nails in my left leg and five in my right leg. Sometimes I could not move without someone helping me.”

For Nakafu, the cart represented more than transport.

“It has come at the exact time when I needed it most,” she said. “Now I can move freely without depending on anyone.”

The event also drew emotional stories from beneficiaries like Jamala Abdulsuliman, a refugee from South Sudan, who described years of humiliation and hardship caused by her disability.

“I have been using boda rides, which were very expensive for me,” she said. “Sometimes I had to crawl using my hands because I had no other option. It was not hygienic, but that is how I survived.”

Holding tightly onto her new mobility cart, she added with a smile: “Now everything is okay after receiving my cart.”

For Samuel Manashafa, a barber and father from Kasangati, the donation offered hope for his two-year-old daughter, Emileshi Nshemye, who was born unable to support herself physically.

“Although she is still young, this mobility cart will greatly help her,” he said. “As a parent, you always worry about the future of your child. Today, I feel encouraged.”

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Ramadhan Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Ms Janat Sebunya said the organization was driven by compassion and the belief that vulnerable communities deserve dignity and opportunity.

“We are so glad to help people in need, especially those who require mobility carts, clothes and food,” Sebunya said. “We share whatever little we receive because many people survive only through the mercy and kindness of others.”

She noted that the foundation, which is nearing one year of community work, hopes to expand support beyond mobility assistance to education and other empowerment programs.

“If there are people offering bursaries or opportunities, we ask them to work with us so that we can reach schools and bring that support back to our communities,” she said. “We are not limited to mobility carts alone. As long as something changes people’s lives positively, we are ready to help.”

The foundation’s chairperson Ms Justine Kanyike urged beneficiaries to use the carts responsibly to transform their lives.

“We are giving you these carts so that they can help you work and improve your lives,” he said. “Do not sell them. When we return for follow-up visits, we want to see that your lives have changed for the better.”

As the ceremony ended, beneficiaries slowly wheeled themselves away, some laughing, others quietly emotional  but all carrying something many had nearly lost: hope, freedom and dignity.