New Hope Rehabilitation Centre opens!
11 April 2022 10:00
We are delighted to announce that in March we opened our first major health facility in East Africa in partnership with SwissLimbs.
New Hope Rehabilitation Centre was formally opened on 16th March 2022 with an amazing celebration, hosting over 100 guests including beneficiaries from the project, partners and local community and Government leaders. Many of the guests who were invited to speak shared their delight at this new centre, saying it is now one of the best facilities in Uganda!
In the months leading up to the grand opening of the centre, different departments had started to open in a phased approach. By the end of March, the wheelchair department had already fitted over 130 people with wheelchairs, the prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) department had assisted 40 patients andcompleted a training course for 7 P&O technicians from 4 separate facilities across Uganda, and the physiotherapy department had seen over 215 patients!
In the months and years ahead, our new centre with SwissLimbs will fill a critical service gap for thousands of people (the majority South Sudanese refugees) living in northern Uganda.
HHA are looking for long and short-term volunteers to assist this work. If you’d like to find out more, contact us today!
Here are a few stories from some of the lives transformed so far…
Back to school with a wheelchair:
Henry came to our New Hope Rehabilitation Centre. He's 5 years old and has spina bifida. His parents are both teachers who lost all their income when Uganda's schools closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sadly, this meant they could not afford repairs to his first wheelchair when it broke down and he had to crawl to get around. Despite these challenges, Henry is a happy little boy and was very excited to receive his new wheelchair as it means he can go back to school. A huge thanks to Walkabout Foundation for donating these wheelchairs!
Akim’s first prosthetic:
Akim is a 45 year old transfemoral (above knee) amputee who sadly lost his leg as the result of a gunshot wound. The team at New Hope Rehabilitation Centre in BidiBidi settlement provided Akim with his first ever prosthesis that was made at the centre. He's currently going through physiotherapy and gait training at the centre as he adjusts to his new artificial limb and he is so thankful and happy for what he has received.
