Sheahan Bhuyian digs deeper into Jaipur Foot and Sadia Moyeen’s collaboration as they give hope to underprivileged amputees
Living in a city like Dhaka, one is not unaccustomed to seeing amputees on the streets, begging, being street vendors or even pulling motorised rickshaws. They get by with their daily lives in whatever way they can, in wheelchairs and crutches. The option of obtaining prosthetic limbs is a distant dream for many. The price of such luxuries can range up to $10,000, an amount out of their reach.
Fortunately, this no longer has to be the case.
The Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) of Jaipur, India, is the world’s largest limb fitting organisation. Jaipur Foot is a team within BMVSS whose purpose is to provide artificial limbs and other assistance to physically challenged people below the poverty line, completely free of cost. The organisation was set up in 1975 and since then they have rehabilitated over a million amputees in India and across the world. One of their knee replacements, built in association with Stanford University, costs about $20, is easy to maintain and has a durability of about three to four years, which can go up to six or seven with proper care. Surprisingly, this simple and affordable, yet highly effective technology was not available in Bangladesh, till now.
Sadia Moyeen, who is popularly known as the flawless beauty expert and owner of women’s salon La Belle, says she has always wanted to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. Born in Jaipur, she had been familiar with Jaipur Foot and decided to organise a camp in Dhaka. “My uncle, a former health minister from Rajasthan, inspired me to bring this project here,” she answers when asked about why she chose to head this particular initiative.
The camp which took place from May 7 to May 24, was organised by Sadia Moyeen, Asif Moyeen of Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries, the Bangladesh Orthopaedic Society, and the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR). A team of fourteen technicians were sent from BMVSS to set up a camp at NITOR over the twenty day period. “They are artisans. They literally create a customised limb in front of your eyes,” says Sadia about the technicians, “The dedication and joy that they put into their work is simply amazing.”
Initially, the aim was to provide five hundred amputees with prosthetic limbs but due to people becoming aware of the camp and wanting to be treated, they decided to increase provision to seven hundred amputees. “People have been so generous with their donations that I thought, well then, what is holding us back? Let me try and do as much as we can,” she explains.
While this is a noble effort to try and help so many people, the sad reality is that there will be millions more who would not be able to obtain a prosthesis. Sadia, however, does not plan on leaving them unattended. She has set her sights on opening up a clinic at NITOR within the next six months to keep continuing the treatment. The room they are currently using at NITOR is already fitted with appropriate equipment although unused for the last decade. Eventually she wishes to expand this initiative. “I want to take this all over Bangladesh. I want to have some camps in maybe Chittagong, Khulna, in different places,” she says. Sadia plans on taking an active role in spreading this across the country and is willing to take time off from La Belle, “It will bring so much happiness to so many people,” expresses Sadia.
Looking around the place, we see the patients waiting with hopeful faces. Once out of the treatment room there was a mixture of happiness and confusion on their faces. “It feels weird,” one says, “But I’m sure I can move around normally soon!” It felt good to hear the confidence in his voice, knowing that he’s just been given a big opportunity. “When you lose a limb, you lose confidence, you lose hope. What we’re trying to do here is give them confidence- a new hope,” exclaims Prakash Bhandari, media advisor from BMVSS. He hopes to help Sadia in her endeavour and wishes to return to Bangladesh as often as possible to ensure that.
Taking up such a huge cause isn’t easy but Sadia Moyeen and Jaipur Foot have collaborated to instill faith and hope in the lives of many. Kudos!