Motivation's Christmas Appeal

The launch of Motivation's Christmas Appeal coincides with the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Saturday 3^rd December marks the annual UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). Now in its 24^th year, the chosen theme for 2016 is ‘The Future We Want’ and will build on the momentum of the Sustainable Development Goals. Also referred to as the SDG’s, these goals were launched one year ago with a commitment from the global community to eradicate poverty, combat inequality and realise human rights for all.

Fighting for a world in which people with disabilities are fully included in all aspects of life, Bristol based mobility charity Motivation exists to transform the quality of life of some of the most marginalised of our global society. In addition to a wide range of high-quality, affordable wheelchairs for people living in developing countries, Motivation also offers practical training courses to empower both wheelchair users and their support network to live happy and fulfilled lives.

This December, the launch of Motivation's Christmas appeal coincides with the IDPD. With 25 years of experience, the charity’s approach has undoubtedly played an instrumental role in ensuring that the disabled people they support feel both empowered and valued and are able to play an active role in their society. Joanna Hall, Head of Fundraising at Motivation, explains:

“We all have a role to play in creating the Future We Want and at Motivation we will strive to do our part by supporting the world’s largest minority – people with disabilities. We are all living longer but some of us will face greater challenges than others. If we are to ensure that the most vulnerable are not forgotten, we must act now to secure a future that we can all be proud of – a future that we would want for ourselves in our later years.”

This Christmas, Motivation has chosen to turn their attention to older people– and for good reason. Today 62% of people over 60 live in developing countries and by 2050, this number will have risen to 80%. A ‘Global Age Watch Index’ by Help Age International ranks countries in relation to the quality of life experienced by its older population – people who are aged over 60. Malawi ranks 95 out of the 96 countries on the list making it one of the most challenging places in the world to grow old. Not only do older people in Malawi face more health issues, but their average life expectancy is lower than any other country - disabled people like Etta (pictured) fair even worse.

In addition to providing practical support to people with disabilities, donations made to Motivation’s Christmas appeal will enable the charity to work with governments, humanitarian organisations, and other partners across the sector, to influence best practice and ensure that everybody gets the chance to benefit from economic prosperity, inclusive education or fairer access to healthcare.

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