Often the stories amputees share with Legs4Africa tell us about how much having a prosthetic leg has transformed their lives but before they were able to access their leg many of them have faced the prospect of being unable to work to support their family and have despaired of how they will manage. One such amputee in Kenya is Matthew (not his real name).

Matthew is 63 years old and as a Dairy Science and Technology graduate he worked in the Kenya Civil Service until he retired in 1999. Since his retirement he made a living doing private dairy production practice until sudden illness in May 2020 necessitated the immediate amputation of his left leg.  Now he is unable to work and his main concern is that without his livelihood he is unable to pay the tuition fees to keep his 3 daughters at university and consequently they have all had to drop out of their courses. 

Hopefully, through Legs4Africa, Matthew will be able to access a prosthetic leg but this small snapshot of his life illustrates the devastation that amputation and the shortage of affordable prosthetics in Sub Saharan Africa can have, not only on the amputee, but on their whole family.