Mohan Sudabattula, founder of Project Embrace, has donated medical equipment to those in need. Mohan and his team of volunteers spend hours at thrift stores collecting secondhand crutches, wheelchairs, orthotic braces, walkers, slings, and rehabilitative gear. The 23-year-old said he got the idea while studying at the University of Utah and volunteering in the prosthetics department at a children’s’ hospital.
According Mohan, the prosthetics are custom made and can’t be reused. That’s why they’re thrown away once a child outgrows them. He was determined to find another way to turn trash into a purpose, which is what birthed the idea of restoring mobility equipment.
The student launched his nonprofit in 2016, and has donated over 900 refurbished medical devices to low-income hospitals in India and the US. Just last month, the group made a second trip to the Navajo Nation at the Utah-Arizona border and gave away dozens of wheelchairs and crutches.“When it comes down to it, I feel a duty to help the people around me,” Mohan says. “Everyone deserves to be healthy and happy.”
Mohan recently gave a TED Talk about Project Embrace.