2020 07 Rotarians and Inner Wheel over Zoom
Speaker Margaret Webb, Jaipur Limb
JAIPUR LIMB PROJECT, Margaret Webb 20/07/2020
Margaret began by showing us a BBC film of Paul Merton visiting the Limb Centre in Jaipur. Unfortunately, sound was not available for the whole film; but we were able to see a young amputee come to the clinic and leave an hour later with a prosthesis and walking out – amazing, all for the cost of £20. Perhaps the NHS could learn from this. Later we were shown another remarkable film of people of various ages doing amazing things with a hand prosthesis. The range of activities was stunning. This time for the cost of £40.
Margaret stressed that amputations, which seem to be common in India, are not only a physical burden, but also an extreme problem for people’s psychological wellbeing and self esteem. Artificial limbs enable disabled men to become breadwinners which restores their status in society. The Jaipur clinic can transform as many as 1,000 lives every week by supplying prostheses to amputees.
In addition to callipers the clinic also supplies full limb prostheses (leg and hand), Surgeons for operative repairs, wheelchairs, Tricycles for people who can only manage them,and even business opportunities.
As well as the clinic in Jaipur, there are mobile camps which travel all over India and Afghanistan giving a similar service. They stay in an area for about 2 weeks and treat about 300 amputees. The project has spread to about 12 other countries, mostly in deprived parts of Africa. Notably there is also a clinic in Haiti which was set up soon after the terrible earthquake and is still working. Outside India all the work is done in clinics and not the mobile camps. A permanent centre costs about £45,000. Incidentally, the African centres are still working despite the virus. Of interest is the fact that money from Britain now tends to fund the African project, while Indian care is funded by Rotary in India.
The supply of funds for this year has been severely hit by Covid-19 and the charity in Britain is thinking of applying for a government grant to continue their work. Margaret thanked M and P Rotary and Inner Wheel for their recent donation. This was inspired by Past President, Peter Nightingale and his wife, Gill’s prodigious walking mileage during 'lockdown'. Gill is now president of Inner Wheel.
A very sincere vote of thanks was given by Peter Davis to Margaret for giving her time for such an interesting and informative talk.
Both Rotary and Inner Wheel were very proud to remember that both Peter/Gill Nightingale and Sian/Andrew Mitchell have actually visited the Jaipur Limb project in India and seen first hand some of the fantastic work that is carried out.
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2020-21 News from M&P
back Rangesh Nallan takes over Presidency from Peter Nightingale and Gill Nightingale takes over from Sian Mitchell