IMPROVING SERVICES

We improve services because everyone should have access to good quality facilities, training opportunities and comfortable care.

We focus on improving:
Equipment and facilities
Services for female amputees
Access to training


Improving equipment and facilities

Through working closely with in-country prosthetists and technicians we have learnt that many of the centres we work with simply do not have the facilities or the equipment to be able to provide amputees with adequate support.

Since 2020, we’ve been working alongside partners to work out exactly what they need in order to enhance services and improve amputee experiences at their centres.

Group of training prosthetists receiving a donation

We are hoping to enhance prosthetic and orthotic services for people in need. We are grateful to Legs4Africa and all its supporters for their wonderful donations that are putting us back in prosthetic fabrication

— Serge Alladagbe

Prosthetist
A2D Services, Benin

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P&O Professional Training 

In the realm of prosthetics and orthotics in sub-Saharan Africa, a significant gender disparity exists. This male-dominated industry can deter female amputees from accessing essential services, as they may feel uncomfortable undergoing invasive procedures facilitated by a male prosthetist.

Recognising this gender gap, we initiated a scholarship program in 2020, specifically designed to empower women with limb loss. Our goal was to increase their employability, foster careers in the prosthetics industry, and challenge entrenched societal norms and stigmas related to gender and disability. By bolstering female representation in the sector, we aimed to create a more welcoming and accessible environment for women in need of prosthetic services.

This initiative has since evolved and is no longer exclusive to women, promoting a more inclusive approach. Today, we sponsor students of all genders to study at the Tanzania Training Centre for Orthopaedic Technologists (TATCOT), leading the way towards a diverse and empathetic prosthetics and orthotics sector.

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There is an enormous need to develop the field of prosthetics in my country because of the high number of people with disabilities and we have very few professionals. Through TATCOT I have been able to lay a foundation in achieving greater things.

— Winnie, scholarship recipient

Improving access to training

Across sub-Saharan there are not enough trained prosthetists and technicians to meet the needs of people with limb differences. When we first started working in The Gambia, there was only one trained prosthetist in the entire country - Gabu. 

We have expanded our support in the field by offering grants geared towards facilitating continuing professional development and advanced education in Prosthetics and Orthotics. This addition to our initiative serves to encourage perpetual learning, skill enhancement, and progression within the industry.

In 2021, Morrow finished his three year course in Prosthetics at the Orthopaedic Training Centre in Nsawam, Ghana. With this qualification, Morrow became The Gambia’s second qualified prosthetist. He is now able to commence work at Banjul Mobility Centre and he will be available to take over when Gabu retires.
Recycling legs across the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA