A young UK startup, Koalaa has intervened to remedy the problem of especially upper limb prostheses in Sierra Leone.
A two-man team is in the country to roll out a prosthetics service with the aim of “fitting users with our innovative upper-limb prosthetic, and learning how we can be useful to Sierra Leoneans with a limb difference”.
In collaboration with the Cheshire Home for children living with disabilities, they fitted five young people including 8-year-old Abdul Karima Kabia with prostheses.
They say their vision is “to establish a service where anybody with a limb difference can access an affordable, comfortable and useful prosthetic across the country, whilst also having access to a community of support through likeminded individuals. We hope to achieve this by starting with this small pilot in Freetown, and look forward to scaling up in the future, across Sierra Leone”.
Speaking at the Cheshire Home on Monday, one of the team, Nathan Macabung said they were in the country to partner in this.
“We are here to do what you want us to do” he said, adding that while they were in university studying engineering they had thought of the idea of ensuring that amputees had a chance to be able to use the lost part of their arm or limb. The issue of amputees, he said, was a “massive problem around the world”.
He said they wanted to achieve this regardless of the social or economic standing of those who need it, with everyone who needed a prosthesis being able to get it.
The head of the National Rehabilitation Centre, Ishmail Kebbie said there was a growing problem of amputees due to diseases such as diabetes that led to amputation and road accidents.
He said the rehabilitation center was being prioritized because of that present reality. He however lamented that upper limb prostheses were a big challenge and so welcomed the initiative of Koalaa.
Kebbie said they were able to cope with lower limb prostheses with the six clinics they had nationwide providing prosthetic services and physiotherapy.
He said someone could be disabled any time hence they were working assiduously to get the centre up to speed.
Abdul Kargbo, a recipient of a prosthesis, said he was “proud” to have been given another chance to be able to use both his hands.
“Now I can do some basic things at home with it as well as practicing to write with it”. He thanked Koala “tremendously”.
Adama Suma, a 27-year-old who whose left arm was chopped off during the war, said she was learning to use her prosthesis to do domestic work and write.
Dr Abs Dumbuya said he was grateful that Koalaa had prioritized Sierra Leone. He spoke about the need for support people living with disabilities and that the Cheshire Home was looking after children in such situations despite challenges of their own.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (08/09/21)
