We believe in affordable technology that frees people to live life to the fullest!
Listen to Ralf Hotchkiss, Co-Founder and Chief Engineer of Whirlwind explain why the RoughRider was designed to handle rugged terrain for wheelchair riders who live in the worst of conditions around the world.
Whirlwind has Distributed RoughRiders or Provided Humanitarian Assistance to over 60 Countries since 2008!
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Watch this Documentary about Whirlwind
Training Disabled Women in Africa to Build Wheelchairs
Mama wa Hunzi is a compelling tale of strength, perseverance and hope. This documentary is about three East African women with disabilities who learn skills which eventually allow them to take control of their mobility. Thai woman filmmaker, Lawan Jirasuradej, shares the journey of three women with disabilities who participated in training to build wheelchairs in Kenya in 1997. It centers on two Ugandan women, Fatuma Achan and Sharifa Mirembe, and a Kenyan woman, Peninah Mutinda.
The film shows women helping women. We see Achan working closely with Jan Sing, the technical director for the organization sponsoring the training, Whirlwind Wheelchair International. Side by side, goggles on, and sparks flying, they weld steel, bending pipes to construct wheelchairs. This connects to the Swahili title, “Mama wa Hunzi,” which means women blacksmiths. However, this is not merely a descriptor: it has been a title of stature in African culture with its many centuries-rich history in iron where male blacksmiths were not only respected but revered. We witness these women take their place in this lineage.
Ralf Hotchkiss is in view in a number of scenes, although often in the background. A wheelchair rider himself, he envisioned a simply made (and repaired) wheelchair appropriate to the tough environment in Africa and that could be folded for easier transport. He also wanted to build a network of locally owned and operated businesses across the globe that could take advantage of readily available bicycle parts and provide the opportunity for entrepreneurship among the disabled.