The Bradford Rotary Club is participating in Crutches 4 Africa, a program where unused mobility devices such as crutches are collected and shipped to African countries where they will be useful.

“Anybody who has used crutches, if they can deliver them to us, we would really appreciate it,” said Dr. M. Javed Akhtar, a Rotarian who is the Bradford point person for the project.

He said his office is located at 195 Pleasant St., Suite 2 — right next to Bradford Regional Medical Center.

Akhtar said there is no deadline, but the sooner people drop them off, the better, as there are many who can use them.

“It’s going to be an ongoing project,” he said, explaining they will ship them almost every week.

“There so much need for it,” according to Akhtar, in countries such as Kenya and Uganda. He wants “to make people aware that in all these African countries, people don’t have access to crutches.”

They end up using makeshift crutches, such as tree branches, that are “very abrasive” and have “sharp edges” — causing pain, Akhtar said, explaining that in those countries, having the ability to get around with crutches can be life-changing, as it can mean the difference between whether or not they can make a living.

“We think this is a great project,” he said.

In addition to helping people, Akhtar noted it’s a way to recycle perfectly good crutches that might otherwise sit in someone’s closet — or in a landfill.

Crutches 4 Africa is a Rotary International-endorsed program that other groups such as the Smethport Rotary are taking part in.