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Physically Challenged Persons Get Carts, PET Carts
posted (February 28, 2011)
While many of us able bodied persons complain about exercise or having to walk to the corner store, physically challenged persons would only wish they had that burden. Many of them are home bound, and unable to move without assistance. Many have benefitted from wheelchairs - and now a new initiative adds another dimension to that. It's called a PET cart and we found out more about it today.

Kim Simplis Barrow, Special Envoy - Women and Children
"The effect of the quality of life of the recipients is priceless. These PET carts utilize the personal arm strength of a paraplegic person allowing them to move themselves and cargo across the area where a standard wheel-chair cannot go."

Jules Vasquez Reporting
The 20 PET or Personal Energy Transport Carts were distributed to twenty physically challenged recipients.

While some struggled at first, others got the knack of it right off.

The hand cranked, sturdily constructed carts are made in Guatemala - and are the ultimate third world edition:

Ivan Cowo, Director of CARE Belize
"This is the gift of mobility so this PET carts stands for Personal Energy Transport will give them that access to many places that they could not reach with their wheel chairs. They are very sturdy, the wheels are like the wheel-barrow and they are very simple to assemble and very simple to repair if there is a need to repair them and the material are very sturdy so this will allow them to go into terrains, very different terrains."

That's true for Lazaro Cob, of San Victor Village, an outdoorsman:

Lazaro Cob, San Victor Village
"I can go to hunt."

Jules Vasquez
"You are going hunting on the....."

Lazaro Cob, San Victor Village
"I am going to hunt Gibnut to eat."

Jules Vasquez
"So you will put your shotgun in the back here?"

Lazaro Cob, San Victor Village
"Yeah and go."

Jules Vasquez
"How are you going to use it?"

Ernesto Correa, Corozal
"To go to the shop."

Jules Vasquez
"Right now how do you go to shop?"

Ernesto Correa, Corozal
"I don't go right now."

Jules Vasquez
"You can't go right now?"

Ernesto Correa, Corozal
"No."

80 more carts will be donated to Belize for distribution throughout the country. Benque Viejo alone is requesting 16 of the carts.



TUMAKAT's Groove

For the past week, the acclaimed Mexican dance company TUMAKAT has been touring Belize and on Sunday they performed at the Bliss Center.

Tonight as we close we leave you with some of their distinctive contemporary magic.






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