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1. Hope Centre Fiji
Hope Centre Fii offers prosthetics and hearing aids to all Fijians on the main islands and outer islands. We offer a sliding scale for payments, depending on what families can afford.
Diabetes is a huge and growing problem in Fiji and we are seeing many patients who have lost their limbs from this chronic disease.
2. ALFA: Affordable Limbs for All, Kenya
Why did we set up ALFA?
Most Kenyan prosthetic workshops do not actively fit quality, modern limbs that local people can afford to buy.
The few centres that do make prostheses, such as PCEA in Nairobi offer ICRC (Red Cross) limbs at $500 US per Above Knee limb (AK), and $350 US for Below Knee limb (BK). We knew MEND could do better!
A New Workshop in Nairobi
In August 2018 a house was rented in Matasia, outer Nairobi, and a simple prosthetics workshop/ hostel was set up. ALFA had started!
A prosthetist and housekeeper were employed. Limb parts were imported from China and socket fabrication materials were sourced locally.
Meet Faith
Faith will have her left foot amputated and then she’ll be fit with a prosthetic leg so she can walk and attend school.
Who Runs ALFA?
ALFA (Affordable Limbs for All) is staffed and run totally by local Kenyans, to provide modern, lightweight, and affordable prostheses to amputees for about $200 per AK limb and $150 per BK limb.
Subsidies are arranged for those who are poorer, or free, as we get sponsors!
Alfa’s Mission Statement
To mobilise neglected Kenyan amputees and fit them with low-cost, quality limbs for a better life of mobility and opportunity.
3. A Hospital for the Ghurka Communities in a Remote Everest Region of Nepal
About 80,000 people from 12,000 families live in Necha. A wild, remote district in Solokhumbu, about 70 km from Mt Everest. The view from the hospital is spectacular and looks straight up to the peak.
Monsoons, landslides, earthquakes, and falling trees have not stopped the Necha community from pitching in and working on the construction.
The hospital was built in stages, building by building. Land for the new hospital was kindly donated by the nearby Rai and Bhujel families with some community members’ support.
Wood was donated and cut by the Forestry Committee. The sand was carried by porters from the river bed 1000 metres below the site!
Stone was cut out of the mountainside and carried up the steep hill. After the foundations and retaining wall were constructed the outer walls were erected in February 2015.
Amazingly the community built the floors by hand, stone by stone!
Early in the building process, Rob (MEND’s director) realised just in time that work was to begin on one of the buildings with only 3 columns rather than the 15 in the original design!
Watch a slideshow of the creation of Necha Hospital>>
In 2022 the hospital closed down due to lack of support. Rob managed to find a Nepalese company to fund the running of the hospital.
Today the hospital is serving the local community and many babies have been born safely at this wonderful facility.
Here’s how two UK guys raised money to start the Necha Hospital project
Charlie Crossley & Roger Taylor walked 200 km from Lords’ Cricket Ground in London to the Close Cricket Ground in Bristol, England.
They raised a fantastic 1.6 million rupees ($17,000 US) to start construction on Necha Hospital. Charlie has Parkinson’s so this walk was a huge accomplishment for him.
Other Generous Donors
- Shanti Rai, Moti Maya and the NRN Hong Kong (Non-Resident Nepalis) raised 600,000 rupees (3700 UK pounds)
- Mr Rai of Dharan donated 617 UK pounds (100,000 rupees) to build the road to the hospital.
- Stiching Heritage Foundation, Netherlands donated 8023 euros (963,000 rupees)
- ALS in Australia donated A$6000 / 2800 UK pounds
- Lee Say Kow, Lee Phoy Yin, Tam Yoke Chow, Lee Kooi Lean, Lee Yean Ching donated $5000 NZ / 2150 UK pounds
4. After the Nepal Earthquake MEND builds a Hope Special School for Hearing Impaired Kids
The school for deaf children in Gulmi was destroyed by the Nepal earthquake. With no government funding available MEND took action.
Rob, our Director, put his thinking cap on and designed a safe and simple low-cost building based on a New Zealand ‘half round barn’. This new and safe school is also home to 32 hearing-impaired children. They will learn downstairs and live upstairs.
The school is made of sheet metal and pipe frames which should be flexible for any future earthquakes. The materials are easy and cheap to source in Nepal and light for porters to carry in this mountainous area.
These shelters are also quick to build, so we consider this a possible business opportunity for some of our members.
The generous Bundeena community in New South Wales, Australia spent months fundraising to pay for the school and a local family donated new uniforms.
Update: A meeting was held recently with local government officials to support completing the school with a security fence and modern toilet.
Keen to help with school equipment and stationery? Click here.