Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids is an American charity (Bozeman, MT) that provides needy disabled children in Iraq with high quality pediatric wheelchairs. The gift of a wheelchair transforms the lives of the children and the families and creates long-lasting friendships.

Founded in 2005 by Brad Blauser, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids was created to meet the needs of disabled children in Northern Iraq at the request of LTC David Brown. He and his soldiers noticed children around Mosul were pulling themselves along the ground because their legs did not work. Since that time, nearly 250 high quality pediatric wheelchairs have been delivered to these children by soldiers serving in Iraq.

General David Petraeus recently wrote “Brad, I just saw the CNN story on your program and wanted to thank you for what you’re doing. Your initiative has proven to be a wonderful idea, and you clearly have been doing a superb job turning that idea into reality. Needless to say, our troopers enjoy distributing the wheelchairs very much, and the goodwill they generate has been significant.  Well done/thanks very much — GEN Dave Petraeus, CG, MNF-I”

Many children in Iraq are born with birth defects such as Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida, and many have also suffered from war injuries. In many cases, there are no services to help these children with disabilities.

The wheelchairs are specifically designed for rough terrain by ROCWheels.

For only $300, a supporter can send a wheelchair valued at $2000 retail to Iraqi kids … with free shipping provided by USAID and the Denton Program. Donations of smaller sizes are appreciated also.

Information on donating, helping with publicity or fundraising, or just learning about their operations can be found on their website.