Aside from the synodal work, the Pontiff was given a wheelchair made in Phnom Penh that represents universal dignity. It is named after the longest river in Indochina and improves the lives of people who have been victims of mines and cluster bombs. Jesuit Enrique Figaredo, apostolic prefect of Battambang, said that it is a “sacrament” because it changes the interior life of the people who receive it.
Vatican City ()- Mekong. As one of the main rivers in Asia, the seventh in the world, it originates in Tibet and flows into the South China Sea. This is the name of the wheelchair manufactured in Phnom Penh that Father Enrique Figaredo, Jesuit Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, gave to Pope Francis on October 23 outside the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican, outside of the synodal work. “The journey of the Mekong chair from Cambodia to the Vatican symbolizes that the dignity of every human life is universal, regardless of distance,” declares the Company of Jesus. Indeed, this chair was built within the framework of the Banteay Prieb project – a training center and home for disabled young people -, in a workshop founded by the Jesuits. It was designed to help people who have been victims of mines and cluster bombs and suffer the painful consequences of the drama of the war that devastated the country until the ’90s.
Cambodia is one of the most mined countries in the world, and landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) pose a serious threat to civilians, especially in rural areas. As a result, thousands of people have suffered life-changing injuries, such as amputations and severe mobility problems. On the other hand, poverty and other effects of the war years (delays in polio vaccinations at the time, for example) made the situation even worse. The disabled and poor, often from isolated villages, were marginalized and had little hope of being included in society. The workshop where these wheelchairs are produced that improve people’s quality of life was born in 1994 with the help of Motivation International – an international association that provides wheelchairs, training and services -, and other organizations such as Manos Unidas, Misereor and Obos.
The Mekong chair was specially designed to meet the specific needs of the country’s disabled population. It is made of wood with a metal structure and has three wheels that allow it to tackle rugged terrain. It is the key not only to the physical independence of many disabled people, but also to discovering a renewed meaning in their existence, especially in rural areas of Cambodia, where infrastructure is poor and people who are not mobile are left behind. For children, a chair represents the ability to go to school, and for adults, mobility means access to livelihoods.
“Pope Francis has always supported the cause of the poor and marginalized. By receiving this gift, the Pope will symbolically place himself next to the countless men, women and children who have regained their dignity thanks to this simple but significant invention,” comments the Society of Jesus. “The wheelchair, made by hand, It embodies the resilience of the Cambodian people and the indomitable human spirit, which is capable of overcoming the horrors of war. The presentation of the wheelchair is also a universal invitation to embrace compassion, healing and peace.”
For Father Enrique Figaredo, promoter of the project, the Mekong chairs not only change the lives of many people, but “they also transform the lives of those who receive them, because they become witnesses of the change they produce.” Indeed, a wheelchair restores hope and allows us to acquire a new vision of reality. The Jesuit also considers that wheelchairs are a kind of “sacrament”, an external sign that internally transforms the lives of the people who receive them. The wheelchair that was given to Pope Francis brings with it the stories of countless survivors of the war and the hope of many people who have transformed their personal stories of suffering into authentic good.
Add Comment