Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Free Jaipur Foot Camp by F4U' that was published in Newsband

Free Jaipur Foot Camp by F4U

By Dinesh Kamath

(Below) Pictures of the patient with his newly fit leg 

NAVI MUMBAI: Freedom For You Foundation (F4U) NGO, is working for empowerment of Citizens, especially the under-privileged, by conducting various programs for the under-privileged. The mission of this NGO is to create Awareness, Education and Training in basic and specific skills so as to empower the citizens’ socio-economic, health and wellness, spiritual faculties of the life.

Now this NGO is organizing a FREE Jaipur Foot camp jointly with Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta Samiti (BMVSS) at Sri Sant Savta Mali Mandal Hall, Sector 5, Airoli, from Nov 21 to Nov 23. They are targeting about 200 patients to benefit from this 3 day camp.

"The physically challenged patients walks in to our camp and will proudly walk out with his newly fit leg(s), with dignity", mentioned Dr Ravi Kumar, CEO and Trustee of this NGO. We already have more than 20 patients from Panvel, Andheri, Badlapur, Kalyan, Colaba etc who have been sourced through well-wishers and friends, mentioned Dr Ravi.

The patient can register in advance/or at the camp on the above dates. A team of Doctors would diagnose the patient and take suitable measurements. The technical team would manufacture the legs then and there within a few hours, and try it out on the patient, help him in walking, give physiotherapy treatment if necessary. “We would make the patient walk on his newly fit leg(s) and make him comfortable by tailoring making the unit,” mentioned Ms Sharmila Gaikwad, another trustee of this NGO.

They have also made arrangements for morning breakfast, afternoon lunch and evening tea/biscuits for the patients, volunteers from a few organizations, including employees from a nearby MNC etc. Even a rest room for aged patients is being planned during the waiting time while the Jaipur foot is being manufactured at site.

Our partner in this camp, BMVSS has been a world leader in providing the prosthetic limbs, well known as 'Jaipur Foot' through out the world; It has conducted numerous such camps throughout the length and breadth of India and also in about 26 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America etc and more than 1.3 million people have been benefited till date. Recently the Mumbai office located in KEM Hospital, has got a mini bus, donated by Dow Chemical International Pvt Ltd, on which all the state-of -the-art equipment have been mounted for manufacture of the Jaipur foot at the camp site. This bus will be parked at the camp site for 3 days and shall be used for manufacturing 'tailor-made' Jaipur-foot for each and every disabled patient.

After fitting this artificial limb, a below-knee amputees can sit, run, squat, climb, walk and swim. Many of these functions can be performed by above-knee amputees as well. Made of superior quality material, lightweight and flexible, durable with high impact resistance and high tensile strength, this Jaipur foot can be used with or without shoes.

Those who want to register for this camp, can contact Dr Ravi S Kumar (93225 92902), Mr Santosh Kanvilkar (91679 95017), Mr Ramaswamy (98208 74028)

NGO Freedom For You is in the field of empowerment of people, mainly distressed / oppressed children, women and senior citizens from the lower strata of the society, and their rehabilitation in all spheres of life viz., mental, physical, socio-economic and spiritual. All donations to this NGO are tax exempt under section 80-G of the IT ACT 1961.