Dear O/P Community,
I posted the following question several weeks ago and have received many
responses, stories and comments. Here they are for all to read. Thanks
for your input!!! It is appreciated.
Don Freeman
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I am currently an orthotic student at Northwestern University. I was
recently asked the question, “Where can my facility send old or new
components (feet, knees, joints, materials, socks, etc…) so they may
get used instead of ending up in the trash?”
I am trying to compile a list for the current students in my class and
future classes that would list:
1) Organizations that could use donated orthotic and prosthetic
componentry in developing countries. I am seeking mailing addresses,
information on specific components needed that could make a “positive
impact” on a country in need. Specifics on the countries need for O/P
components and how to pack them would helpful as well.
2)Is there a list out there that I don’t know about?
3) What about liability issues when components are donated? Must a
facility be concerned about this?
Any information would be very helpful.
Sincerely,
Don Freeman
Northwestern University Orthotic Student
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Just out in the O&P Almanac was a paper by Mel Stills, C.O. It’s the
October 1997 issue, starting on page 47.
The address and phone # are on page 48:
Contact a David Sevier or Curtis Allen,
Coordinators of Operation Sea Legs,
Mercy Ships, P.O.
Box 2020
Lindale, TX 75771-2020
800-424-SHIP.
Email <
Good luck and great question!
-Don Katz, C.O.
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We send our used etc. items to the world health orginization- (see next
entry for address)
The liability problems don’t exist there in the third
world-however, here, we are prohibited by federal law from
reusing components.
Hope this helps,
Robert
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The World Rehabilitation Fund
The Educational Opportunity Center of the Bronx
1666 Bathgate Ave.
Bronx, NY 110457
(they recycle used/usable components of prostheses & orthoses and
wheelchairs)
American Lpprosy Missions
1 ALM Way
Greenville, SC 29601
(exo or endo used prosthetic components, such as knees and feet)
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Dear Donald,
Between our lab (which is a non-profit research facility) and the
outreach foundation with which we are affiliated, we may have some good
possibilities for worthy donation sites. Our lab (Prosthetics Research
Study) does work primarily within the US, but we very often make good
use
of donated components both within our studies and to meet the needs of
our
subjects between projects. The outreach foundation (Prosthetics
Outreach
Foundation) does work in developing countries such as Vietnam, the
Phillipines, and some Central American nations. I’ve asked one of our
research prosthetists who shares time between both groups to look into
this further.
Thanks for making the effort to find homes other than the trash for
useful
components and materials. It can make a big difference.
Sincerely,
Kim
Kim Coleman
Research Engineer
Prosthetics Research Study
720 Broadway
Seattle, WA 98122
Phone: (206) 328-3116
FAX: (206) 325-3607
e-mail: [email protected]
Web Page: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~prs/
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Maybe this will help!
Hi Everyone!
Many of you have often wondered what to do with old, used components. It
seems
like such a waste to throw them away! I worked for three years in a
hospital
in Tanzania, East Africa that serves an area with a population of over
six
million very poor people. I know that your donations will be well used
and
appreciated there. The staff in the orthopedic workshop at Bugando
Hospital
have the skills to help people with disabilities but very little material
to
work with. It’s easy and inexpensive to get your old components there to
be
used! An organization called Americares in Connecticut will accept your
donations and ship them to Tanzania.
Here’s a short list of useful items:
Prosthetics
Feet and Knees—–Endoskeletal stuff are not able to be used—Just send
old
exoskeletal prostheses as they are. Don’t
even bother to cut off sockets because even the
old attached straps are valuable
Orthotics
Conventional AFOs and KAFOs —-Just send them as they are with shoes
attached
Plastic KAFOs—–Just send them as they are
Materials and Supplies
Laminating resin, sheet plastic, and stockinette—almost impossible to
get in
Africa—if you have anything you don’t think you’ll use please
send—just make
sure resin is tightly sealed
Stump Socks—-Impsossible to get in Africa
Here’s the shipping address and packing instructions:
Attn. Peter Brown
Americares Warehouse
145 Main Street
Norwalk, CT 06851
Phone – 206 – 972-5551
* Pack in sturdy boxes marked: For Bugando Hospital, Mwanza,
Tanzania—Orthopedic Workshop,
C/O Dr. Ray Towey
* If tax receipts are needed, call or fax Peter Brown at Americare
with a list of the donations and tell him where to
send the receipts.—tel. 203-847-8847 fax. 203-847-8017
Your donation will be well used and greatly appreciated. Please contact
me if
you have any questions. Thanks.
Bill Velicky, CP
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One for your list:
Maurice LeBlanc
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Dear Don:
You are not the first one asking this question and you will not be the
last
one. I will send you two lists of addresses for your information.
Probably
it will be good to keep them with NWU for the future, because such
questions
will come up again. But I would ask you to make sure to keep this
letter
with the list and make sure that they get never separated.
You are right: It hurts to dump prosthetic/orthotic components, knowing
that
the larger part of the world is the Third World and that they need our
aid.
So it is good to do the right thing. But what is right? Let me tell you
a
few stories out of my own experience with donations to the Third World.
I worked as an instructor in TATCOT, the Tanzania Training Center for
Orthopedic Technologists more than a decade ago. A part of our training
curriculum was to teach the students how to manufacture appropriate
orthotic/prosthetic components (this is the German approach, some
colleagues
smile about it, some others are convinced its great – you may think as
you
desire). As an instructor I taught not only more than 20 students per
class
how to manufacture SACH feet or knee shin components made from local
materials, but also a local carpenter, who was interested to start a
small
industrial manufacture of prosthetic components for East Africa. We
found
some sponsor-money for him to get started with a new band saw and some
table
sanders and a few hand tools. He and one of his workers participated in
my
class and received some additional courses. He and I made all the
tracing-patterns for cutting the wooden keels and sole-blocks in
various
sizes and sides , we found a shoe industry willing to deliver the
needed
quality of sole rubber in the quantities needed, we found the right glue
and
found out where it was available in the country. We were also able to
place
a good starting order of 250 feet and to help him in marketing in the
neighboring countries, Kenia and Uganda. Can you imagine how proud I was
to
have been part of managing this project?
At this time the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (where our project
was
located) received a 25′ container completely filled with used
prostheses
from the United States. They where donated by a religious group,
affiliated
with the Medical Center and this group had gone through a lot of effort
to
collect those prostheses, pack them, pay for shipping and customs and
finally getting them from the coast to the inland, to Moshi
(Kilimanjaro).
Probably they have gone through a similarly exciting project with their
donation as I have with my component manufacturing teaching! What’s
wrong
with that? Nothing.
But it had one disastrous effect: The carpenter was not able to sell
more
than a hand full of his locally (well) made feet and had to close down
this
new part of the business. He lost a lot of money and even had to fire a
person just recently hired for the manufacture of components. He had no
use
for the donated special tools either.
Let me tell you another true story:
I was sent to Kinshasa/Zaire to plan and prepare the installation of an
O&P
lab at the university (UNIKIN). The sponsoring condition was such that I
had
to develop a model to make the lab independent from further sponsoring
after
the initial stage of three years. This is not an easy task in any Third
World country because the economic conditions of any business go up and
down
influenced by many factors different than in the industrial world (I
guess
it is really down these days). But if you don’t start to teach how to
be
independent you’ll never get there. I had a pretty good concept,
influential
people were participating in the project, room, technology and
technologists
were there. It seemed to need just some planning aid and a little seed
money
and it would go. One of the economic factors again was the local
manufacture
of orthotic/prosthetic components. Among other components, I was able
to
teach them how to manufacture drop lock sidebars for polio braces for
about
$ 6.00-8.00 a pair locally.
There is a huge need for polio braces in this country.
My pride lasted until I found out that the Belgian Catholic Church
(Zaire
was a Belgian colony formerly) produced complete custom polio orthoses
for a
charge of $ 2.00 to the patient. After re-calculating I was aware that
this
was far below raw material cost. For the church this was a humanitarian
task
(that’s what churches are there for). Also there was no way of talking
about
real prices and what their donations where doing to development of the
country because the sub-organization dealing with this project, was lead
by
the prime minister’s wife. They were not interested in a conversation
with
me because they knew they performed a most admirable humanitarian task.
And
they did.
Let me tell you a third story:
In Kabul/Afghanistan I met the wife of a high politician (they have
been
assassinated in the last take over as far as I know) who was an AK
amputee.
Somehow they had gotten hold of a US-American AK-prosthesis which was
an
admirable performance, because Kabul was under the control of the
Russians
at that time. There was no knowledge of bio-mechanics and fit. For
religious
reasons there was no dare to touch a female AK patient in a way which
would
have been appropriate to fit a prosthetic leg. So she received a leg,
which
was “pre-made” for some fat US lady before – this one seemed to be
donned
most easily. She was told she would get used to it. Who knows, perhaps
she
has grown into it?
Why am I telling you all these stories? There would be more – for
example
the question of technological levels: Do you want them to ask for our
high
technology in the future, just because they got a donation of a US or a
German component? Who will be able to pay for that, when there is no
donation? Is it the most appropriate solution under maintenance and
replacement criteria?
85
85?.
Donations have two sides. If you want to do something good, give them
materials. Ask for the condition of their tools. Most often they do not
have
the drill bits for an existing and nicely working drill or they do not
have
the sanding sleeves for an existing router machine or no blades for the
band
saw. In Mwanza/Tanzania I saw about 50 wheelchairs unused (and there was
a
big need for them). Reason: they had flat tires and there were no tools
or
rubber cement to mend a flat or any inner tubes. This is the reality.
If you give them used prostheses or orthoses, give them the components
only,
not the complete leg or brace. Be aware that they have no means of
replacing
bolts and nuts or any missing parts. Pack it in such a way that things
keep
together. Be aware that your container of aids may sit in a tropical
climate
for 6 months or longer until someone found the money to bribe the
customs
officer in charge.
In any case make intensive contact with the receiving side before you
send
anything. They may not even need or want what you have to donate right
now.
The lists, which you may have, if you still want them, contain many
international addresses of NGO’s single persons, government projects
and
what have you. They are taken from international meetings and may not
be
accurate in every detail any more. But they are certainly the most
complete
existing ones.
Let me send you a copy because it’s too much to copy all the addresses.
Let me have a fax number or an address to send it too. Thank you – and
good
luck. Never give up!!
I am sending this letter to you and I hope you return it to the OANDP
List
as an answer. Will be interesting to read some comments and meet some
people
who have been out there.
Best regards
Wieland Kaphingst
ortho-bio-med – marketing education design
Dipl.-Ing Wieland Kaphingst CPO (D)
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1 Brother to Brother 800 642-1616
2 American Leprosy organization 800 537-7670
3 Neighbors helping neighbors 360 457-7148
National O&P Office
Thanks
