Twenty-eight year old Francis lives in the capital city of Honiara, Solomon Islands. When Francis was 18, he fell from a coconut tree, which damaged his spinal cord and left him unable to walk.

The first years post-injury were very challenging for Francis. Without proper knowledge and training, he developed dangerous pressure sores and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Francis only had access to a rusty orthopaedic wheelchair, which made it difficult just to leave his house.

In 2009, however, Francis received a new Motivation wheelchair. He then attended Motivation’s peer training course, which course taught him how to live more independently and have confidence in his own abilities. Most importantly, he learned how to prevent pressure sores.

At the end of the course, Francis said, “I learned about pressure sores, and how best to heal them.” This is information that could literally save his life. Francis now hopes to get his body healthy and to find a job and get married, and – one day – to become a peer trainer so that he can help other wheelchair users.

This video brings our peer training in the Solomon Islands to life.