Francisco “Kiko” Trujillo, an industrial engineer from Nogales, Mexico, has dedicated his career to empowering individuals with disabilities through the Arizona Sonora Border Projects for Inclusion (ARSOBO). What began as an unexpected collaboration has evolved into a vital mission that has served nearly 3,500 people to date.
The initiative started in 2008 when Dr. Burris “Duke” Duncan, a Tucson-based pediatrician specializing in pediatric disabilities, sought a partner across the border to help provide all-terrain wheelchairs. At the time, Trujillo was unfamiliar with medical equipment. “I said, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about medical equipment,’” Trujillo recalled. Despite his initial hesitation, the two formed a lasting partnership. Trujillo jokingly warned Duncan at the time, “I’ve got to warn you, I only stick with a job for seven years, and so you got me for seven years.”
For Trujillo, the work became deeply personal. Growing up as the fourth of twelve children, he had witnessed his own brother struggle with a congenital condition that left him without a left hand. While his brother managed to thrive, Trujillo recognized the lack of support for others in similar situations. “When it comes to prosthetics and orthotics, none of the health programs in Mexico provide these devices,” he noted. “You don’t even need to look at statistics to go out on the streets and see how many people you find using crutches and missing a leg.”
ARSOBO’s model emphasizes both technical expertise and peer support. The organization hires individuals with disabilities to fabricate the very devices they use, such as prosthetics and wheelchairs. “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 explained. This approach helps patients cope with the emotional impact of their conditions, as they see firsthand that they can still lead productive lives.
The nonprofit’s impact is reflected in its output: the team has constructed over 820 all-terrain “Rough Rider” wheelchairs, fabricated 900 orthotics and prosthetics, and distributed more than 740 hearing aids. In 2016, the group expanded its services by partnering with the University of Arizona’s Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Department to offer monthly hearing clinics. More recently, they moved into a larger facility that provides free physical therapy for amputees.
The organization operates on a philosophy of inclusion, serving individuals from 10 different Mexican states and 97 cities, including children from orphanages and those living on the streets. While the group partners with manufacturers and universities to offset material costs, patients contribute what they can, when they can. “We are changing the lives of not just the patient, but the entire family,” Trujillo said. “We have been able to involve all sectors of the society on both sides, and work towards helping people overcome the barriers that they face.”
Now 93, Dr. Duncan acknowledges that Trujillo’s commitment has far exceeded his original seven-year promise. “It’s his life, and he gets so much enjoyment out of helping people reform their life and get on with their life,” Duncan said. For Trujillo, the motivation remains simple: ensuring that no one leaves their facility without the support they need to regain their mobility and independence. The report also notes that duncan, then in his 70’s, was seeking a community partner across the border to help provide all-terrain wheelchairs for people whose disabilities left them unable to work or care for themselves. The report also notes that he and I just kind of jived together,” Duncan said. The report also notes that “We started getting requests for custom-made wheelchairs from families that had kids with cerebral palsy or neuromuscular disabilities,” Trujillo said. The report also notes that trujillo, an industrial engineer, was well respected for his innovative work implementing safer standards for poverty-stricken communities in Mexico. The report also notes that he’d also once dreamed of being a doctor but could not afford medical school. The report also notes that the chair’s wide, flexible front wheels help it roll easily over uneven ground, designed by an inventor with paraplegia. The report also notes that “Once we receive people that have lost the limb, they’re devastated, they’re depressed.
