What we're working toward
We repair and adapt wheelchairs and braces, and over time we want to build them here in Balochistan. We don't want cost to be the reason someone can't get around.
Why it matters here
In much of Balochistan there's nowhere close by to get a wheelchair repaired or a brace adjusted. When something breaks, people travel a long way for help, or they just go without. Going without a working chair can mean not leaving the house at all.
When equipment can be found, it's often expensive. A new wheelchair or a fitted brace can cost more than a family is able to spend, so the real choice becomes repair or nothing. We think there should be somewhere nearby that can help, at a price people can manage.
The workshop grew out of one person's own need. After his injury, Ehsan spent years keeping his own equipment going and helping the people around him with theirs. That's why we start from the person and the problem in front of us.
A few things we hold to
Getting on with life
Equipment should help someone get to work or school and move around their own home. We start from the person who'll use it.
Affordable, and near
A chair or a brace is no use if it costs more than a family can find. We keep the work cheap, and near where people live.
Made from what we can get
Good repairs and devices often come from recycled parts. We use what we can actually get hold of here.
Run by a wheelchair user
Ehsan runs it, and he uses this equipment himself, so he knows what goes wrong firsthand.
Sharing what works
We learn from other makers, including the e-NABLE community, and we pass on what we work out.
The order we're building in
We're doing this roughly in order, a step at a time. We're still near the start.
- 1
Repair what people already have
Get wheelchairs, standing aids and braces working again for the people who rely on them.
- 2
Adjust and adapt
Change equipment so it fits the person. Seating, braces, hand controls for disabled drivers.
- 3
Build and test prototypes
Turn ideas into working prototypes we can test and improve before anyone has to rely on them.
- 4
Make equipment locally
Start building the equipment here in Balochistan, at a price people can manage.
- 5
Teach others
Pass on the skills, so this doesn't rest on one person or one workshop.
Where we'd like this to go
In the long run we want this to be a place people can count on. Somewhere you can bring a broken wheelchair, or a problem no one else will take on, and leave with something that works.
We don't want it to be a one-off. We want a workshop that keeps running and pays its own way, so it's still here in ten years for whoever needs it.
What we need to keep going
We need tools and materials, and more hands. You can give, or work with us.