Meet David Talbot, a polio survivor who understands the need for mobility first hand (or leg, in his case). He is fortunate to have access to crutches and recently was fitted for a brace for increased mobility. ![]()
Having witnessed the plight of people with mobility challenges in Africa in 2005, David was compelled to do something about it. So he founded Crutches 4 Africa, a non-profit organization based in Denver, CO. This is a grassroots organization with all volunteer staff.
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Crutches 4 Africa is raising money with this campaign to ship donated surplus and recycled mobility devices--canes, crutches, walkers, baby joggers, bicycle trailers, and wheelchairs--to people who desperately need them in developing nations. We are only trying to ship what we have already collected at this time.
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Since our first collection and distribution of 235 pair of crutches in 2006, we have shipped and distributed over 58,000 mobility devices
into 15 countries in Africa and 9 outside Africa. See where we've distributed mobility devices around the world.
Currently our warehouses in the US are overflowing with donated mobility devices that need to be shipped to Africa. Once there, they will be distributed by Crutches 4 Africa volunteers to people with extreme mobility challenges, free of charge, regardless of race, age, gender, nationality or religion.
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Why We Need $44,000 USD
Currently we have enough donated mobility devices in our US warehouses to fill 4 shipping containers with approximately 3000 mobility devices each.
Each container costs approximately $10,000 USD to ship. Here is the breakdown:
- $6,400 - ocean transport of one 40-foot container from USA to Africa.
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$1,600 - legitimate customs and clearing costs. We do NOT pay bribes to local officials. We donate to Non Government Organizations, so we do not pay taxes.
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$2,000 - inland transportation to distribution sites via trucks, motorcycles, cars, trains--whatever it takes.
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$4,000 - will purchase one container that will remain in-country to become a workshop for people with physical challenges. Optimally we would like to buy all of the containers so that they can be re-purposed on site in the destination location.
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Excess funding will be applied to continuing this effort to help more people in need of mobility devices. More containers, more shipping, more crutches, more wheelchairs, more people lifted out of the dust.
- Currently there is no paid staff. If the funding goes crazy and David shaves his beard (this will only happen with a one million dollar donation), we will be able to hire staff and move the project to the next level.
The Impact
- In Africa, people who have mobility challenges are sometimes treated with disrespect, neglect, and abuse. There is very little in the way of mobility equipment available outside of the major cities. For the poor, nothing is available. Devices offer hope, dignity, health and access.
- Reasons for mobility challenges are numerous: Polio, accidents, war, birth defects, cerebral palsy, elephantiasis, broken limbs, amputation, infections from burns, bites, fungal and viral infestations, and domestic violence. Many hospitals and rural clinics are ill-equipped to help. A broken leg often results in amputation or disfigurement.
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- In developed nations such as the US, most mobility devices are used briefly for recovery, set aside, then eventually discarded. Our goal is to keep our landfills free of good surplus mobility devices. Crutches4Africa is a GREEN local and international project.
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- The need is extreme. Over 20 million people in Africa need what we have in abundance in the US and typically discard.
- We assist in the distribution process whenever possible, to ensure that the mobility devices are not dumped in a big city or sold on the black market. We make every effort to go into rural areas where help is otherwise unavailable.
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Here is a testimonial from a pastor we met in Kisumu, Kenya last year. We received this letter Aug 4, 2014:
"Dear David, What a joy in my heart to read from you! My members are so very happy with
the walking sticks and crutches that you gave to them. Brother we are really praying for the work of crutches4Africa and am so proud
of being part of your work in Kenya. I have lots of pictures that we took when giving the
crutches to our church members who are effectively using them and they
share great testimonies of how these crutches have greatly supported them in
their daily walk. We still have a larger number of persons who surely need the walking devices. Pass my greetings to all our dear friends at Crutches4Africa
in America. We are part of you and we so dearly love you David! Warmly, Pastor Gordon"
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David is unique in Africa. He is white, he has a beard, and he uses crutches. He stands out in a crowd. He is respected and has been profiled in the newspapers, on TV, and radio in many cities. When stopped for routine traffic inspections on our way to a distribution site, he is often recognized by the officials and has been known to give them a cane for their uncle, or a walker for their grandmother. Sometimes we see people with mobility challenges along the side of the road so we stop and help (a drive by mobility moment).
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Going along on a distribution trip is the opportunity of a lifetime. Contact us
through our website for more details.
Other Ways You Can Help
- Pass this link along to your contacts and friends via social media using the Indiegogo share tools.
- We also are looking for new collection sites, long and short-term storage, and transportation within the US.
- Join a distribution trip with us to Africa and see the incredible gratitude and joy in the faces of the individual recipients and their families.
- Donate air miles.
- Contact your local nursing homes, hospice facilities, and physical therapy units to see what they do with their surplus. Start your own collection
Perks
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Mobility for one
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Pin
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Shave this face
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Coffee mug
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Watercolor by Candice Talbot
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Photo essay book
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Name your container
This just in from Emily C.: "I am a Physiotherapist from South
Africa and worked with people in extreme poverty, including at Baragwanath
Hospital in Soweto, South Africa's biggest township. I was able to help
people who had very little and often not the means to get even the simplest of
mobility equipment. I have since lived and worked in England, New Zealand, and Australia and in each of these first world countries mobility aids are
given out single-patient-use, something that truly shocked me when I first left
South Africa. Almost every day I came into contact with someone wanting to give
these aids back to be re-used.
Each time I said "we can't take these
back", it made me think of the dire need for these aids in my home continent
of Africa and how life changing each aid would be for someone back home.
For many years I have said to myself that I need to get involved and
after a bit of research I found C4A - exactly the opportunity I had been
looking for!! So after many years of thinking about it, I am finally doing it
and have become a collector for
C4A."
Mobility for one 
Pin 
Shave this face 
Coffee mug 
Watercolor by Candice Talbot 
Photo essay book
Name your container
