JAF was founded in 1979 by Joni Erikson Tada, best-selling author and teacher and one of the world’s leading international advocates for people living with disability. A diving accident in 1967 left her, then 17, quadriplegic and in a wheelchair. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with a fresh determination to help others in similar situations.
The vision of the organization is to see a world where every person living with disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. This is informed by the Biblical mandate in Luke 14:21, 23, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame… Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full”.
The World Health Organization states that 700,000 individuals are in need of a wheelchair. In many developing nations, the cost of a wheelchair is approximately equivalent to one year’s wages, which is simply out of reach for most families. JAF Wheels for the World (WFTW) program provides a free wheelchair and a professional, custom wheelchair fitting to individuals affected by disability.
Since 1994, over 200,000 wheelchairs have been distributed on over 100 countries JAF’s process for WFTW takes place in four steps: 1) Collections; 2) Restoration; 3) Transportation; and 4) Distribution. Volunteers collect used, but restorable, wheelchairs from across the U.S. Inmates then restore wheelchairs to like-new condition in thirteen correctional facilities across the U.S. In 2021, JAF received over $3.3 million of donated labor and facilities used for wheelchair restoration.
Wheelchair deliveries are always accompanied by volunteer teams of trained disability service providers who specifically fit each wheelchair to the recipient with no church or religious affiliation required. Every chair recipient will receive a Bible in his/her own language and an offer to discuss the Bible and receive prayer. The Gospel is lovingly shared with recipients, family members, and friends by local pastors. For these individuals, a wheelchair opens up a whole new future; children are now able to go out in the sunshine, attend school, play with their friends, and become an active part of their community.
In 2022, JAF will distribute over 10,600 wheelchairs in the following countries; Philippines, Ghana, Romania, Uganda, West Bank, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Thailand, El Salvador, and Brazil. Please join us in this transformative, life-changing work where individuals not only receive the gift of mobility but the hope and the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
