The wheelchairs were flown from Zurich to Lusaka, Zambia. IAG Cargo worked with a trucking partner to collect and deliver the wheelchairs to Zurich Airport, where a forwarder took care of the documentation, customs clearance, and packaging at no cost. IAG Cargo’s ground handling agent not only handled the wheelchairs free of charge, but also sponsored the security checks as a gesture of support.
Heinz Frei, a competitor in both Summer and Winter Paralympic Games as a wheelchair athlete and as a cross-country sit-skier who won his most recent gold medal at London 2012, made the donation after he became aware that his friend Gabi Thönen, a former employee at Mpanshya Hospital, regularly makes donations to the hospital and is responsible for persuading Swiss families to sponsor orphans in Zambia.
Thönen, founder of Friends of Mpanshya Hospital Zambia, said: “It’s great that IAG Cargo and Heinz Frei made this possible as these wheelchairs will make the difference to the lives of those in need at Mpanshya Hospital. As IAG Cargo has strong links between Europe and Zambia, my foundation can easily send any additional donations which will extend our charitable work in these regions.”
The wheelchairs were flown from Zurich to Lusaka, Zambia. IAG Cargo worked with a trucking partner to collect and deliver the wheelchairs to Zurich Airport, where a forwarder took care of the documentation, customs clearance, and packaging at no cost. IAG Cargo’s ground handling agent not only handled the wheelchairs free of charge, but also sponsored the security checks as a gesture of support.
Heinz Frei, a competitor in both Summer and Winter Paralympic Games as a wheelchair athlete and as a cross-country sit-skier who won his most recent gold medal at London 2012, made the donation after he became aware that his friend Gabi Thönen, a former employee at Mpanshya Hospital, regularly makes donations to the hospital and is responsible for persuading Swiss families to sponsor orphans in Zambia.
Thönen, founder of Friends of Mpanshya Hospital Zambia, said: “It’s great that IAG Cargo and Heinz Frei made this possible as these wheelchairs will make the difference to the lives of those in need at Mpanshya Hospital. As IAG Cargo has strong links between Europe and Zambia, my foundation can easily send any additional donations which will extend our charitable work in these regions.”