A Ghanaian mother based in Columbus, Jennifer Mensah-Bonzie has established a charitable foundation, Vigilo Mobility, with the aim of supporting children with disabilities in Ghana, West Africa.
As part of its yearly contributions, the Vigilo Mobility Foundation has chosen to donate to the Orthopedic Training Centre (OTC) in Adoagyiri-Nsawam and two other cities, Tamale and Kumasi by giving away forearm crutches to random people on the street.
Jennifer Mensah-Bonzie will lead a donation event on August 22, 2023, at the Orthopedic Training Centre in Nsawam, Ghana, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The Vigilo Mobility Foundation, which aims to promote successful mobility in Africa, will be donating prosthetics, wheelchairs, crutches, school supplies, and food items to children in need.
These donations seek to prevent children from undergoing the same hardships that Jennifer Mensah-Bonzie faced during her own childhood.
Despite needing crutches to walk due to battling polio since the age of three, Jennifer Mensah-Bonzie has not let her condition hinder her progress.
“Despite the difficulties I have faced, I take pride in being able to utilize my experiences to inspire, facilitate accommodations, and enhance accessibility for future generations, thus making their lives easier,” she said.
She expressed her conviction that the word “ability” is inherently present in the term “disability”, which distinguishes her perspective.
She also shared that she had believed for a long time that she could not make any meaningful contributions to society.
Jennifer, who originates from Ghana moved to New York in 1996 and later settled in Ohio in 2001. She has been embarking on her journey since she began her donations during her visits to Ghana in 2019.
Jennifer stated that some of these children have been abandoned by their parents due to their disabilities. She is currently dedicated to improving the lives of these children.
As a wife and mother of three, she founded the Vigilo Mobility Foundation, a non-profit organization in 2021. The foundations mission is to increase awareness, provide education, advocate, pay tuition fees, and donate mobility devices to physically challenged children at OTC.
As a project manager for Autism at Work at J.P. Morgan Chases Office of Disability and Inclusion, she expressed that it brings her immense happiness, and it feels like her life has come full circle.
After contracting poliomyelitis (polio) when she was three years old, she believed for many years that she could not contribute to society. However, an advocate provided her with the appropriate mobility device, and the American culture transformed her life.
Married with three lovely daughters named Lovania (15), Sage (8), and Lois (7), she has demonstrated her capacity to succeed in diverse roles, take on new challenges, and give back to the community where she was raised in Ghana, West Africa.
Vigilo comes from the combination of the first two letters of the nicknames of her three daughters. She raises funds to promote awareness, provide advocacy, pay tuition fees, and donate mobility devices to individuals with disabilities in Ghana. She travels to Ghana every year to carry out these donations.
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