Leveling the playing field for children with limb disabilities in the developing world.

Our Goal: a brighter tomorrow.

You have the power to give kids the world.

Imagine spending 12 hours of your day lying still. Unable to move, sit up, or leave your room. For millions of children around the world, this is daily life without access to the right care. Your gift provides life-changing mobility care and creates hope where there was none, bringing freedom, joy, and the warmth of the sun.


Help us raise $100,000 by December 31 to provide at least 100 children with free mobility care in the new year. Give mobility and the light you create will spread - to our CoolKids, their families, and their communities - creating a brighter tomorrow.

MATCHING EXTENDED! Thanks to the enthusiasm of our community, our Board of Directors has pledged an additional $5,500 in matching gifts to help us get closer to our goal!

 

25,818

CoolKids since 2003

70%

of CoolKids in school

4

Continents

13

Countries

14

Programs

53

Clinics

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Hope begins with you.

“This year, your generosity fueled extraordinary progress: we welcomed our 25,000th CoolKid treated and launched four new programs. But for every child now moving, another waits.

On a visit to our program in Laos, we met CoolKid Sengsavanah who received her first ever customized wheelchair. She told us her favorite part was being able to spend time outdoors, feeling the sunshine on her face. 

Mobility impacts everything we do - from going to school, securing employment, and breaking the poverty cycle, to enjoying the simplest pleasures every child deserves.

Your tax-deductible gift will help bring 100 CoolKids into the sunshine and a new world of opportunity. On behalf of the 25,818 CoolKids served together since 2003, thank you.

- Gabriella Mueller-Evrard, Executive Director

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Your impact.

The right mobility care is more than movement.

Imagine wearing shoes that don’t fit — every single day. Or sitting in a chair that leaves you in pain. Or lying still in bed all day because moving isn’t possible. Your support changes that, providing high-quality, custom mobility care designed to uplift each unique CoolKid we serve. Because every child deserves the right care.

In emerging countries, only 1 in 10 people can access the mobility care they need. In high-income countries, that number is 9 in 10. This gap limits childhoods, dreams, and futures. Generic, hospital-grade wheelchairs, sub-standard prosthetic limbs, and ill-fitted orthotics, while more widely available, can cause complications that take away the very independence they were meant to provide.

 

Meet Mihai • Romania

When we met Mihai, he spent every weekend waiting to move again.

After Mihai’s parents both died in the same year, his older brothers became caretakers overnight. His eldest brother picks up any odd jobs he can to support his younger brothers. 12-year-old Mihai attends a boarding school during the week where they have a wheelchair for him. But, when we met Mihai, his mobility ended Friday afternoon as he couldn't bring his wheelchair home on public transportation. For very short distances, Mihai can walk with the help of a walker. However, once home, he couldn’t play with friends, go to the supermarket with his brothers, or attend church. Together, we provided Mihai with an appropriately fitted wheelchair to move freely every day of the week. Like any curious child, Mihai is eager to take part in as many activities as possible.

 

Meet Zulfan • Indonesia

When we met Zulfan, he was using a prosthetic limb that was uncomfortable and painful.

At five years old, Zulfan lost his leg in an accident. When we met Zulfan last year, he was using a conventional prosthesis that was uncomfortable, painful, and increased his insecurity about his disability. We provided Zulfan with our sleek Joshi prosthetic limb and committed to covering his care as he grows. This year, your support kept Zulfan moving and provided him with a new Joshi as he quickly outgrew his last one. Since we’ve met Zulfan, he’s regained his confidence, comfort, and joy, able to play with his friends, fly kites, and learn how to ride a bicycle.

 

Meet Ali • Romania

When we met Ali, he had never received a wheelchair.

Ali lives with Cerebral Palsy, a disability that makes everyday movement - coordination, balance, and walking - a significant challenge, and often makes mobility aids, like wheelchairs and orthotic braces, essential for daily use. Yet when we met Ali, he had never received the wheelchair he needed. Together, we provided Ali with a buggy wheelchair, giving him the mobility, comfort, and dignity he deserves. For children like Ali, who spend nearly every waking hour in their wheelchairs, the right fit is vital to their quality of life.

Give monthly.

Keep our CoolKids moving.

Mobility is the joy of playing with friends, the pride of being the first in your family to attend college, and the hope that your dreams are a possibility. But all of that can slip away if a child grows without access to continued care.

When a prosthetic foot becomes too small, running turns into falling and the joy of play disappears. When a prosthetic socket grows too tight, each step brings pain and sores, and days at home replace days at school. And when a wheelchair isn’t repaired or replaced, the path to dreams once within reach comes to a halt.

This year, we raised the age of those served served to 25 to ensure our CoolKids can enter adulthood as thriving members of their community.

Your monthly donation gives CoolKids and their families the peace of mind that together, we're there to ensure they never stop moving. Growing Up ALTSO is mobility for the future.

Give Monthly
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