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In this series, Legs4Africa is taking a look at the lives of Gambian amputees. We want to give you a snap shot of normal people doing normal things despite disability and in some cases, thriving whilst they do so. The police are often on the front line, putting themselves in dangerous situations to protect the public. unfortunately, in places like

Phil Tunstall, chief of operations at Legs4Africa and all round good egg, describes his recent experience of working at the wheelchair centre in the Gambia. He takes a look at the highs and the lows of the work that the centre does and the frustrations its technicians are forced to endure due to insufficient resources. Finally, he explains how you

There are many stages in getting an African amputee walking again, not least of which is making sure that the equipment we provide is appropriate for the task. Through the highly skilled Prosthetists at our partner hospitals and clinics in Africa, the recycled prosthetic limb that we send out can be assessed, restored and, finally, customised for its intended recipient.

Legs4Africa is looking to raise six thousand pounds to furnish The Wheelchair Centre, supplying the whole of The Gambia with wheelchairs, as well as the nearby physiotherapy department with essential tools, replacement parts and equipment. The skilled engineers need updated tools and parts so that they may customise each donated wheelchair for its intended recipient. Over a hundred wheelchair users

In the dusty yard of Farafenni Power Station, a figure on a bicycle emerges from behind a distant warehouse. As the man draws nearer, I see the striking sky blue of his Muslim attire, and a wide grin beaming above a stark-white beard. He comes to a halt and nimbly dismounts from his ancient bicycle, propping it on a kickstand

Patience is a virtue Early June found the expanding Legs4Africa team racing rain clouds as they loaded 500 prosthetic legs to be shipped to a Tanzanian hospital. The 5,000 mile journey was expected to take about a month but, as with many schedules, it was to be left in the hands of the gods and customs which would decide the

A quarter of a million miles If, instead of being driven all over the UK and to Africa on several occasions, I had pointed my bonnet skyward and driven into the heavens, right about now I’d be reaching the moon, a quarter of a million miles away. That’s a long way, huh?  But, let me introduce myself, they call me

We couldn’t have asked for better weather at WOMAD this year. It was our 7th festival of the summer and we were starting to feel the effects of too much party, far too much tie dying and nowhere near enough sleep. We weren’t too sure what to expect from this experience which called itself  “the worlds festival”, but our anticipation arouse 

Anyone remember when we shipped 500 legs to Zambia last year? We are starting to see some very good results, helping lots and lots of people walk again and regain their independence. Dr Colin McDonald was stationed at the The University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia and found that they were in desperate need of the components to build more prosthetic legs. After

There is the rain and it is cold. It clatters on car roofs, it dribbles down necks and plasters hair to heads… but, it is England, there is always the rain. And there are legs, hundreds upon hundreds of legs… And there are hands, but a few, which pass legs around, put legs in bags and put bags in the

Dust off those trainers – The L4A Leopards need you! So, I’m writing this as I contemplate my running training plan for the Bristol 10k on Sunday 15th May. I can’t say I’m a runner, more of a trundler to be fair. Most of my 10k and half marathon sign ups have been whilst semi drunk or as I stare

The old man is still singing Congolese gospel hymns, even as the young doctor removes his leg. The operating theatre is humid, dark and is a far cry from the sterile, brightly lit theatres of the young doctors home. It’s already been a long day with an unending stream of cases coming through the door, some walking but most being

Firstly a warning… This article contains references to practices which some of you may find disturbing. . Please, do not continue reading if you are easily distressed. What is a witch doctor? Witch doctors deal in maladies of the body, the mind and the spirit. They act as both healers and holy men often asking the spirit world for help

When Legs4Africa spoke with Bunama, a Gambian amputee who lost one of his legs after a football accident.

Truro Foyer is a fantastic scheme that helps 16-25 year olds find their feet, by providing housing, education and has a great sense of community. The staff and young people of Lander Court designed and built ‘The Vesbin’, a bespoke mod styled wheelie-bin trike, complete with comfy seat, mirrors, lights, steering and classic black/white chequers. Turning  a wheelie-bin into a

About an hour’s drive south of Banjul, in the town of Seracunda, lies the grounds of the Gambian Wheelchair Basketball Team. Here, in a tiny sports centre, athletes from across the nation meet up every week to train. Many of these players fit the training around professional careers as teachers, mechanics or doctors. For others, the community of the court

The vibrant stall, the exciting volunteers and the opportunity to get creative made the Legs4Africa pitch a resounding success at Port Eliot this year. It’s been a long time gone, but tie-dye is officially back in fashion; with festival goers pouncing on the opportunity to colour-up their very own iconic Legs4Africa t-shirt. A multitude of techniques and styles where taught

Zooming around Truro in a mod styled wheelie-bin (or… VESBIN) collecting charitable donations! Sounds great fun, and it’s happening on the 11th November in Cornwall’s biggest city. The staff and residence of Truro Foyer, part of ‘Devon and Cornwall Housing Group’ or DCH, have been busily designing and creating the wheelchair-wheelie-bin, a bespoke made money collecting machine where Wayne Cross

For the most part Legs4Africa is only interested in the simple yet life changing act of walking. Today we’d like to show you another aspect of Africa, its runners… Though, to be honest, you’d probably not want to see any of this lot hammering it down a country lane or, indeed, taking part in The Leicester Half Marathon… Though they will

3D printing is the future of product manufacturing. It minimises waste materials, it is portable and it is fast. 3D printing prosthetic legs is not a new idea. Recently Derby the dog received his very own pair of 3D printed legs and now spends all his time wearing out his owners. Versatility Design and production, until the advent of 3D printing, was

So… You wanna be a LegEnd and run the Leicester Half Marathon for Legs4Africa? You want to challenge yourself and make a difference to some of the poorest communities in the world? That’s great! Here’s the deal What we need from you… We want you to join our team and change people’s lives. We want you to run 13.1 miles

The number of people who suffer from diabetes in Africa is uncertain. The World Health Organisation estimated that there were seven and a half million people with the disease in 2000. With the lack of a regulated health service it is impossible to say what the number now stands at but it is certain that the number of people with

It is suggested by the NHS that people with diabetes in the UK are 15 times more likely to undergo an amputation than those without the condition. This article will answer: What is diabetes? Who is at risk? How is diabetes in the UK treated?? What are the best practices for minimising the chance of amputation? What is diabetes? Diabetes

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An interview with an L4A Legend Cycling from London to Paris, I think you’ll admit, is kinda crazy. Cycling it with one leg and a prosthetic is into the tricky domain which is either genius or insanity… But this is just what Cassie has done. After finishing this arduous task Cassie found a little time in her busy schedule to

Legs4Africa is growing. The word is spreading. People are paying attention. Another 2000 legs are in storage, ready for shipping. However, we are still just a tiny group of friends volunteering in their spare time. Across the country, potential donors – medical centres, hospitals and amputees – are discarding prosthetic limbs, without the knowledge that an organisation like Legs4Africa even

Madi Njie is an outspoken journalist and an amputee. He now writes for the Daily Observer, after his first newspaper The Independent was brutally closed down by the Gambian government for articles that criticised the president (in power for over 20 years) and his policies. Madi lost his leg when he was 12, while helping on his family’s farm during

It is five AM, the onshore breeze is biting and even the seagulls which frequent the harbour seem despondent. Two figures, yawning and wrapped up against the early spring weather, climb into a bright yellow van. The doors clunk shut, the van sways a little before its bright eyes illuminate the carpark and, with the cautiousness of someone new to

Cassie, an amputee from South East London Cycles 170 miles to support Amputees in West Africa Cycling 170 miles over three days is a challenge which most people would avoid. Not only does she have a name that might be found in the pages of marvel comics but, Cassie Cava, 23, has stepped up to the challenge with her prosthetic

It’s an inspiring sight when you walk into the Social Welfare Unit in Banjul -The Gambia, as most of the engineers and staff are affected with limited mobility. For example, all 3 wheelchair mechanics which serve the entire countries wheelchair maintenance needs are bound by a wheelchair. Having spoken with each member of the team, we could see and feel how passionate they

Gerry Shooter always wanted his leg to go to a good home, says his widow Jean (above). “He knew that if his prosthetic leg went back to the NHS it would be chucked on a pile. But he wanted something good to come out of his disability if it could give someone else the chance to walk,” she says. Having

Maybe you have donated time, money or a prosthetic limb. Maybe you want to know more about the people that you will help before you make a donation. In this new series of videos Legs For Africa is proud to introduce the people that your aid can help. It is a weekly insight into the lives of the people who,

Mariama Mjie lost her leg after giving birth to her daughter and has continued to teach. She admits that life is hard but refuses sympathy, instead asking for empathy and for people to recognise that she doesn’t ask for help, she only asks that people understand. Maria strongly believes that differently abled people can be part of the economic development

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At the end of January, Legs4Africa collaborated with Physionet, a charity which provides physiotherapy equipment to disabled children in developing countries around the world. Combining our expertise and resources, we were able to acquire a shipping container, 1000 prosthetic legs and a wide range of mobility equipment, destined for the Ministry of Social Welfare in Banjul, Gambia. A recently-emerged video shows

Days like today remind us why our efforts our worth sacrificing. Having picked up a motorbike first thing with no paperwork we switched the number plate with one that did and cruised the dirt tracks of outer Brikama in The Gambia and visited a list of inspiring amputees which had been recommended that we speak with from the Gambia Federation of

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Today Legs4Africa took a trip to a Gambian Primary school in Kerrserign. A large school with a large name, The Sanchaba Jobe Lower Basic School educates a whopping 3600 children and has doubled in size in just 3 years, the 75 teachers have really got their work cut out, and split the days so as to educate half the students

In Will’s last blog we saw him battle Morocco and start out on his adventure down to The Gambia. In his next entertaining blog he makes it half way, but not without some crazy mishaps along the way… Bad places to find yourself out of cash: Your pants around your ankles in a Mexico somewhere south of Tijuana, wondering where

Legs4Africa is very pleased to announce that they have partnered with The Gambia Federation of Disabled. Known as the GFD to its friends, it is the umbrella organisation that looks over all of the disabled peoples groups in The Gambia, from schools for the blind to the Gambian Paralympic Committee. In January we had the privilege of spending some time

The Earth has made a full orbit of the sun since our first crowdfunding campaign. We had a month to raise the required 5-grand and it started slowly, a polite video request with an outline of our objectives managed to pull in about a grand from some generous sponsors. Then the tide changed. The virulent spread of Neknominations had just

Due to EU regulations, these legs are classified as medical waste and cannot be reused domestically. Without Legs 4 Africa’s intervention, they would be left to gather dust in storage, or be sent to landfill. Amputation is a serious issue in West Africa due to diabetes and civil war, and prosthetic legs typically cost £350 – more than the average

A friend of Legs 4 Africa decided to take a month off and drive to The Gambia. Great idea we said – fancy taking some legs for us…? In the first of his blogs, Will takes us through the highs and lows and humour of his adventure. Everyone recognises a smile. All around the world, the one human constant is

A journey to visit a hospital in Dakar, Senegal from Legs4Africa’s Banjul base in The Gambia provided many obstacles. The mission was to visit their prosthetics centre and see if it matched our criteria so we could supply them with legs in the future. Myself and Tom (Legs4Africa UK) set off with Bamba the driver and Bob (Legs4Africa Gambia) who

In a place called Luxor in Egypt lives a little donkey named Hector. The story of how Hector ended up without his left hind hoof is unknown. In fact nothing is known about Hector before the time that he was found dumped outside the Animal Welfare of Luxor. The AWOL is a medical care centre situated on the west bank

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Hello Everyone, Thought it was about time I wrote another little blog post for Legs4Africa (or L4A if you’re in to your acronyms) as something absolutely brilliant has happened since I last wrote one… Legs4Africa has received official charity status!!! That’s right, we have the special number and everything! Don’t believe me? Then go and check, go on, it’s 1158697.

During a casual holiday to The Gambia in 2011, I had no idea that the events that happened there would lead to the start of a new charity. Since that holiday, we have developed relationships with over 15 hospitals across the UK, received over 500 individually donated prosthetic legs, driven a van 3,723 miles from the UK to The Gambia,

Saturday morning, bright and early at 8 a.m., Jack from GroundQube picked me up in his work van on his day off. We had 70 more legs to pick up from Limbcare that day. Earlier in the year Limbcare kindly gave us a few hundred legs which we have already taken out to Africa. To tell you a bit more

Amputees in Action is a unique agency which works to get amputee actors into film, television and emergency services and military training simulations. Coupled with their skilled special effects make-up team, the agency prides itself on achieving realism through their actor’s ability to bring their personal trauma and experience to roles.  The company’s inspiration came when its Director – John