Arizona-Sonora Border Projects for Inclusion (ARSOBO) – Cross-Border Aid for People with Disabilities

In 2008 pediatrician Dr. Burris “Duke” Duncan, then in his 70s, reached out to industrial engineer Francisco “Kiko” Trujillo in Nogales, Sonora, seeking a partner to supply all-terrain wheelchairs for disabled residents on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. Trujillo, the fourth of twelve children raised in Nogales and a former aspiring medical student, agreed despite initially knowing little about medical equipment. Together they established the nonprofit Arizona Sonora Border Projects for Inclusion (ARSOBO) to provide wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing devices, and rehabilitation services to low-income families in Mexico and the United States.

CNN

ARSOBO’s early work focused on the “Rough Rider” wheelchair, designed for uneven terrain. Growing demand led the organization to fabricate custom wheelchairs for children with cerebral palsy and neuromuscular disabilities, as well as prosthetics and orthotics. The group also hires staff who share the same disabilities as the devices they build, fostering empathy and empowerment for patients. Partnerships with manufacturers, universities, and the University of Arizona’s Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Department enable material subsidies, cross-border training, and monthly hearing clinics launched in 2016. A larger facility opened “last year,” allowing free physical-therapy services for new prosthetic users.

CNN

ARSOBO reports having served nearly 3,500 individuals. To date it has constructed more than 820 all-terrain wheelchairs, fabricated 900 orthotics and prosthetics, and distributed over 740 hearing aids. More than 20 people with disabilities have been trained and hired by the organization.

CNN

Trujillo emphasizes that the organization’s aim is to enable patients to support their families and improve overall quality of life. Duncan, now 93, acknowledges that Trujillo’s involvement has far exceeded the original seven-year commitment, describing the work as a source of personal enjoyment and fulfillment.

CNN

• “What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about medical equipment,” — Trujillo

CNN

• “Everybody knows Kiko, and Kiko knows everybody. He and I just kind of jived together,” — Dr. Duke Duncan, co-founder

CNN

• “When it comes to prosthetics and orthotics, none of the health programs in Mexico provide these devices,” — Trujillo

CNN

• “We started getting requests for custom-made wheelchairs from families that had kids with cerebral palsy or neuromuscular disabilities,” — Trujillo

CNN

• “We hire folks with the same disability as the device they’re going to be building; the person who makes prosthesis, he wears a prosthesis,” — Trujillo

CNN

• “We’ve seen folks from 10 different states in Mexico, 97 different cities; we’ve helped kids from orphanages, from Central America, and we’ve helped folks living on the streets,” — Trujillo

CNN

• “It’s his life, and he gets so much enjoyment out of helping people reform their life and get on with their life,” — Dr. Duke Duncan, co-founder

CNN

• “We are changing the lives of not just the patient, but the entire family,” — Trujillo

CNN