The "Bala Vidya Mandir schools “Back-on-their-feet" initiative is a campaign that is being done by me & other student friends of mine to raise funds to give mobility to villagers in rural Tamil Nadu who have lost their legs to amputation. The funds I raise will be used to give prosthetics (artificial limbs) for those who have lost a leg to accidents, disease and birth deformities.

This will get them to walk again, be mobile, transform their lives and the lives of their families. Each prosthetic limb costs just INR 10000 to fund. This includes the cost of the limb, the cost of the camp to measure them, the cost of the camp then to distribute/ fit them and the cost of training them. Kids can play again, adults can get back to their work and elders are no more dependent on others.

All the funds collected from this initiative will go to the " Freedom Trust” NGO that is located at Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai. The mission of this NGO is to limit the disability of economically backward people with a desire to improve their quality of life and make them independent. These funds will be used for a camp in THENI, PUDUKOTTAI, SIVAGANGAI to help those who need prosthetic limbs.

Rehabilitation and provision of locomotor aids can make a huge difference on a disabled person’s future; a handicapped human being can be empowered to lead a good and dignified life in which he can contribute to society in his own abled way.

FREEDOM TRUST proposes to conduct a camp in THENI, PUDUKOTTAI, SIVAGANGAI with the funds we collect  where they will :

• Identify those who need a prosthetic limb.
• Take their measurements.
• Get the prosthetic limb fitted and then.
• Train the recipients on how to use the prosthetic limb.

This involves at least 3-4 visits from Chennai to THENI, PUDUKOTTAI, SIVAGANGAI and back. All this is done at a cost of just INR 10000 for a prosthetic limb. Am planning to raise at least  INR 20000 so that I can transform the lives of 2 such people and positively impact both them and their families. These people could be kids, adults or the elderly. 

HELP ME RAISE INR 20,000 and TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF 2 PEOPLE WHO ARE AMPUTEES.

 I shall then post an update on this campaign and give you details of those who have received the prosthetic limbs so that you know for whose treatment your money has been used.

CASE STUDY: THE STORY OF SRIKANTH

ABOUT ME & THIS CAMPAIGN:

 Pic: This is me

Hi, I am Nidhi Premkumar of Class 10 of Bala Vidya Mandir School, Adyar, Chennai. I love playing volleyball, listening to music, reading and singing. Let me tell you more about this campaign of mine. A few days ago, our school had a program where we met representatives from Fueladream.com who told us about a crowdfunding program which is going to help those with amputations walk again.

It was difficult for us to imagine how people live their life without a limb – as we all take that for granted.
The fact that a contribution of just Rs.10000 can make a difference to the life of someone, made me realize that I must do something to help. I strongly believe that we can help those who are needy and in the process, transform their lives. 

By just donating RS.1000-2000 individually, you can help make a difference. Please support my campaign and let us together bring mobility and freedom back into the lives of these people.

PROSTHETIC LIMB FACTS:

Physically handicapped persons form the lion’s share of the nearly 10 percent handicapped people throughout the world. A sizeable number of these are amputees. Amputation is the severing of a part of the body in order to save the rest of the body, and those who have lost their limbs are called amputees.

Amputees living in the deep interior pockets of India cannot afford to come to the big cities where qualified rehabilitation teams are situated; they neglect their handicap and resign to a life of immobility. An artificial limb can make all the difference to them and provide not only a means to mobility but also means of living. Many amputees are employable if they can be fitted with an artificial limb and can walk. Yet they are forced to be confined to their homes because they don’t have access to artificial limbs. There is a huge need for prosthetic limbs, especially in deep interior rural areas of India where people who have been amputated are waiting for their limb. The cost of a prosthesis is just INR₹10,000.

REASONS WHY A GOOD PROSTHESIS IS SO IMPORTANT 

HOW ARE PROSTHETICS FITTED?

Measurements are taken at a camp and the prosthetics are manufactured, Walk India then returns to the villages to make final adjustments in some cases and the final distribution is then made.

HOW YOU CAN HELP & HOW FUNDS WILL BE USED

We are raising money to cover the cost of prosthetic limbs & the smallest amount you contribute will help them walk again and find jobs and ensure that the condition of the entire family is improved. Once the campaign ends, regular updates will be posted to keep the funders abreast of which person received the prosthetic limb.

These funds are earmarked for a camp that will be done in THENI, PUDUKOTTAI, SIVAGANGAI.

TAX BENEFITS:

By funding this campaign, you are eligible for tax breaks as the FREEDOM TRUST is a registered NGO & you can avail benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Foreign funding is not accepted. If you are an Indian living abroad or a person holding an Indian passport you can EASILY fund this campaign.

ABOUT FREEDOM TRUST & WALK INDIA:

WALK INDIA (GG1633529)

‘Making Rural Amputees Walk’

A Project supported by the Rotary Club Chennai Mambalam

Walk India is a wing of Freedom trust. Physically handicapped persons form the lion’s share of the nearly 10 percent people throughout the world. A sizeable number of these are amputees. An estimated 80% of them are from rural areas and their poor economic conditions prevent them from getting themselves a limb that can make them mobile. Living in the deep interior pockets of India, they cannot afford to come to the big cities where qualified rehabilitation teams are situated; they neglect their handicap and later get resigned to a life of immobility. Sometimes a person who has been using an artificial limb is unable to use it when his prosthesis wears out and becomes irreparable. An artificial limb can make all the difference to them and provide not only a means to mobility but also means to a living.

In order for amputees to lead a life with dignity and avoid their dependence on their caregivers, they need to be fitted with prosthesis [artificial limbs]. Amputees provided with artificial limbs can walk, run and even climb a tree. Many of these persons with amputation are employable, and very often it is the inaccessibility to artificial limbs that makes them confined to home. A handicapped person means a handicapped family. Making a handicapped person mobile contributes immensely to the improvement of society.

Application of the principles of limb fitting is a very scientific process and involves the measurement and fitment by a prosthetic engineer. The prosthesis, so fitted, is customized to the user, and cannot be mass produced.

A mobile van fully equipped with tools to manufacture artificial limbs and service them was donated by a grant from the Rotary Foundation in 2017. The van is fitted with a wing-like roof tent on both sides, opening it up on either side that makes it a camp venue. Be it on a field, a dried up lake, the roadside or under a tree, wherever the van is parked, the place becomes the campsite.

 FREEDOM TRUST sends this mobile workshop into rural areas to identify amputees, take measurements and provide artificial limbs in order to make them walk. A team consisting of the social worker, trained prosthetists, and physiotherapist provides technical support.

Modus Operandi of WALK INDIA:

Each camp begins with a field visit made by the coordinator from Freedom Trust. He identifies the local agency or associations working for the disabled and having data of amputees in need of an artificial limb in that particular village or district. He then charts a road map and begins the camp with the van accompanied by a team of prosthetic engineers with it. A venue is decided which acts as a central place for the camp making it convenient for the amputees from the surrounding areas to visit the campsite. This is coordinated and assisted by the local organizer in bringing them.

Each beneficiary is registered and enrolled in a separate form, adequate information including their photos and proofs are collected.

The van also contains physiotherapy equipment and walking aids for training purposes, compulsory GAIT training (It is the type of physical therapy which helps to improve the ability to stand and walk after sustaining an injury or disability. Physiotherapists help their patients with gait training] accurate fitment of prostheses is done to each beneficiary. After each camp separate training is giving to the local organizers, caregivers or NGO’s by social workers on Rehabilitation concepts wherein they are trained on vocational rehabilitation for amputees and to affiliate, the beneficiaries with them for periodical follow-ups.

LOCATION OF THE CAMP OR AREAS WHERE THE PROSTHETICS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED:

This will benefit villagers in and around THENI, PUDUKOTTAI, SIVAGANGAI.