THE NEED.
The need for affordable prosthetic legs in developing countries is steadily growing. Some of the primary causes of limb loss in these countries are disease, natural disasters, accidents, birth defects, and warfare. High-tech prosthetic devices can restore a person’s basic skills and independence, but they are very expensive.
Meet some of our friends
Pablo is a hard worker. He lost his leg two years ago while using a mower in his field. One of the blades broke off, came out from underneath the guard and almost completely chopped off his foot. He finished it off with his machete, then started hopping towards the nearest road (over a quarter mile away.) When he could no longer hop, he crawled. It took three hours to get to the nearest hospital, and another hour in the waiting room. It's a wonder he didn't die from blood loss. Pablo is a trooper though; he works as hard as ever to support his family. His first carbon foot broke as a result of heavy use and water damage. When we met him, we fitted him with both a new carbon foot and a OneSize foot. He liked the OneSize foot more because it felt more stable!
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Harley is a 10 year old boy with a hip disarticulation. He, his father and his sister took a four hour bus ride to get to the clinic. They do not have insurance that covers prosthetics, so we were excited to offer him a new foot and liner. Hip disarticulations are very difficult to work with, both for the amputee and the prosthetist. While he was here, the prosthetist fitted him with a new socket.
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Ricardo is active and excited about life. He also drove a long way with his family, who struggles financially, to get to the clinic. We were able to provide him with a new liner and knee.
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Andres is a wonder. About 6 years ago he lost his left hand and right leg to an electrical accident. He rode his bike over 30km to get to the clinic when he found out we could give him a new leg. Andres' old leg was pretty beat up; on the bottom it was more electrical tape than foot. We asked him a few questions in video interview, and he was super appreciative of the new foot and liner that we gave him.
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Unemployment rates for amputees are high, especially in developing countries. Inadequate care for amputees leads to increased homelessness and begging, and an increase in the number of people requiring government assistance. Unemployment of amputees also lead to an increase in the number of children of these amputees who have to drop out of school in order to help support their family.