Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Thanks to the efforts made by the President of DIF Puerto Vallarta, Candelaria Tovar de Dávalos, 65 adults and 13 children received new wheelchairs earlier this week.

The wheelchairs were provided by the National System for Integral Family Development and presented at the UNIRSE facility in a ceremony attended by 104 disabled people who live in Jalisco's Region 9 and have also benefitted from this important program's support.

Vallarta's First Lady welcomed National DIF director, Laura Vargas Carrillo, and the president of DIF Jalisco, Lorena Arriaga Sandoval, who thanked Sra. Candelaria Tovar and acknowledged the teamwork it takes to provide this kind of support to the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

"In the Puerto Vallarta DIF family, we open doors for you. I'm sure this wheelchair is critical for you, and will allow you to be more active in your daily lives. But we'd like to remind you that we also offer psychological support, physical rehabilitation and medical care, so if you need help, come to us," the president of DIF Puerto Vallarta said.

She added that it is important for all citizens to remember that often the main barrier for people with disabilities is not their condition, but the fact that they don't feel as if they are part of society. Therefore, she urged friends, neighbors, relatives, members of civil associations and public institutions to strive to provide this sector of the population with better living conditions and to enable them to have the same opportunities as everyone else.

For her part, the director of National DIF, Laura Vargas Carrillo, said they will continue working to ensure that disabled people have a better quality of life. She also recognized the ongoing efforts made by the presidents of DIF Puerto Vallarta and DIF Jalisco. "Candelaria has been working to create a rehabilitation unit in Puerto Vallarta, and Lorena has been looking for ways to help make it happen. As such, National DIF can not do anything but join in this effort, so there soon will be a rehabilitation unit in Puerto Vallarta, and I know all of you will use it," she said.

It should be noted that the 78 wheelchairs that were delivered at the UNIRSE facility in Puerto Vallarta are valued at 168,898 pesos, and were given to not just Vallartenses, but also disabled people from the municipalities of San Sebastián del Oeste, Talpa de Allende, Cabo Corrientes, Mascota and Atenguillo.