Through a four-year collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's (UNL) Rotaract Club, Rotary 14 has raised over $18,000 to send 120 wheelchairs to Ivory Coast, Africa. Rotary 14 collaborates with the National Disabilities Association in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where qualified recipients with disabilities, including polio, will be selected and notified. The wheelchairs are on their way to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and are expected to arrive this year (2021). 

The inspiration behind the project is Konan Blaise, known as ‘Koko,’ who was a member of UNL Rotaract and a Fulbright recipient at UNL. When Koko’s path crossed with Rotary 14 member and UNL Rotaract advisor Keith Larsen, Koko’s vision to help others in a similar situation became a reality through the Wheelchair Project. 

Koko, a polio survivor and an overall victor, received his wheelchair during his undergraduate years. Before Koko received his wheelchair, his mother carried him every day to go to school. When it was too heavy for her, Koko learned to walk with a stick to balance and move. One wheelchair led Koko to achieve his dream.

Koko believes in living life to the fullest through giving back to the community. If one wheelchair changes one life, Koko realized more wheelchairs would provide for many to achieve greater independence and opportunities in life.

To learn more about the project, please visit:

• Watch Now > Wheelchairs for Africa | Rotary 14's YouTube Channel
• When He Could Not Work, His Mother Carried Him and He Made Her Proud | Lincoln Journal Star
• Former UNL Grad Student Helps Disabled People Overseas | Nebraska Public Media
• Rotary Clubs' Donation of Wheelchairs to Bring Mobility to Polio Survivors in Ivory Coast | Lincoln Journal Star
• Powerlifting Champion Finds New Dream After Coming to UNL | The Daily Nebraskan