We started assisting the Femmes Handicappees de Tombouctou 3 years ago by helping to pay their utility bills for their centre. We had been introduced to this group through our friend the photographer and healer Joseph Hunwick from Glastonbury who regularly goes there to photograph the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu. His father John Hunwick is a renowned expert who has been translating these manuscripts for the last 40 years.

In 2007 we were finally able to go to Timbuktu ourselves, partly spurned on by the nationwide search for a suitable English twin town where our hometown Glastonbury had been shortlisted.
Their ‘Centre de Femmes Handicappees de Tombouctou’ is a meeting place where they sew, produce soaps and other goods which they sell in the market, trying to become self sufficient.

Wheelchair-users have a very hard time in places like Timbuktu with almost every street being sand. Wheelchairs do not work on sand. The only vehicle that will let them move independently is a motorised tricycle costing £1000 each. These are strong enough to go through the sand. For the time being we are trying to find funding for all of the 40 handicapped ladies to get one each.