The all-terrain wheelchair designed for people in developing countries

Safari Seat has a suspension system like that on a car and is a low cost and open-source solution, which can be made in any kind of workshop.

letu

Social enterprise, Uji, has designed a wheelchair for disabled people living in developing countries.

SafariSeat is the first project from the social enterprise, and is designed to be low cost, all terrain and open-source, so that it can be made in basic workshops using bicycle parts.

Designer Janna Deeble, who grew up in Kenya, was inspired to create SafariSeat by a Samburu man he met who had been disabled since birth with polio. The man was only able to crawl to move around, and was completely dependent on others.

One in 200 people in East Africa need a wheelchair

One in every 200 people in East Africa live in need of a wheelchair and after studying abroad, Deeble returned to Kenya in 2015 to develop his design with this in mind.

Unlike existing wheelchairs, SafariSeat uses a patented mechanism mimicking a car suspension, so that all of the wheels are able to remain on the ground for better stability.

As well as costing little to make, Deeble will make the blueprints for the wheelchair completely free. This will act as part of an open source toolkit which will enable any workshop to manufacture SafariSeats to be used in the local community.

£46,000 raised

After launching a £30,000 crowdfunding campaign to develop SafariSeat in October, the social enterprise has already successfully exceeded its original target by £16,000.

Deeble says the additional money will be used to make build more wheelchairs, set up workshops and a disability outreach programme in order to reach remote areas of East Africa.

letu-sabato
janna
how-does-safariseat-work_
Hide Comments (1)Show Comments (1)
Comments
  • Ikpe Paul .O March 9, 2020 at 3:26 pm

    Good day, Mr. Janna Deeble.
    My names are Paul Ikpe from Kano State Nigeria. First of all, I would like to use this opportunity to thank you for the philanthropy work you are doing with the safari seat. I pray that the good Lord bless and rewards you.
    I came to the Northern part of Nigeria one and a half year ago, and I discovered that they are a lot of people with special needs here; I was thinking about how i can help. Then I saw your Safari seat on YouTube. I was looking for your contact I then came across Mr. Kennedy Mwarandu and sent him similar email. I noted that the Safari Seat is very durable compare to the one the foreign ones over here.
    Please I want to build some here in Nigeria, how can I go about it; I want to know if you do offer training on how to build the Safari Seat? Or if you have any videos tutorial to help guide me on how to make one, that will be very helpful. My Father is a bicycle repairer at I have some knowledge of how to assemble and repair bicycles.
    Thank you and God bless you; I am looking forward to hearing from you. My email address is ikpeobo5@gmail.com
    Best Regards.
    Paul Ikpe. From Kano Nigeria.

  • Post a comment

Latest articles