We are super delighted to announce that we have officially collected a whopping 10,000 prosthetic legs!

This is a huge number and means thousands of precious limbs have been saved from a life in landfill.

This incredible achievement would not have been possible without our amazing individual donors, mobility clinic crews and our team of leg coordinators based in France, Australia, Canada and the USA.

There are so many human beings behind that number and we are so grateful to all of you.

“I think it’s very easy to take having a prosthetic leg for granted, but we are very grateful as a family that Isaac is fortunate enough to have one. We are massively lucky that we have the NHS in this country. For us, it is therefore a really easy decision to donate Isaac’s legs. It’s massively better that a leg is being loved in Gambia, than gathering dust in an attic and it would be great to think that in a few months there will be a child kicking a football or riding their bike in the Gambia, wearing Isaac’s donated leg”.

Robert, Isaac’s dad

We celebrate this milestone with a story that is an absolute source of inspiration, hope and positivity for all of us. This is one of our young donors, Isaac, a smiling 9-year-old boy who has an incredible strength that enables him to carry on with whatever he sets his mind to. 

Thanks to the NHS in the UK and his supportive family, it has always been possible for Isaac to have a prosthetic leg at no cost – something that most amputees on the African continent can only dream of.

A few months ago, Isaac’s father, Robert, asked him if he would like to donate his outgrown prosthetic legs to other children in Africa and Isaac immediately replied, “That’ s fine!“.

In itself this was a fabulous donation, but then we realised that among these legs would be the 10,000th one donated in the 7 years since Legs4Africa started.

“Looking back, it’s hard to believe that a random act of kindness 8 years ago would lead to quitting my day job and starting something that would make such a big impact on so many people’s lives around the world. The grace and support that people from so many professions and life experiences have offered the cause since we began is overwhelming, and we would have not have been able to achieve this incredible milestone without their faith, encouragement and generous support”. 

Tom Williams, founder of Legs4Africa

Africa for us is much more than the continent to which we ship the various components to enable our partner centres to build new prosthetics. Africa is where our organisation has its roots. We started in The Gambia, West Africa, and then moved on to different territories across the sub-Sahara zone.

Here, local prosthetists and technicians utilise the invaluable stock that we send them to get people walking again.

“The beneficiaries here are very happy to be receiving the support from everyone that has contributed. Together, we are getting people back on their feet and helping them to drive their cars, go to work and do their things independently. We are all very thankful to Legs4Africa staff here in the Gambia, the UK and around the world”

Bubbaca Jabbie, outreach worker for Legs4Africa in The Gambia

We receive lots of lovely messages from our donors. One of them is framed in our office in Bristol and says, “We hope this helps”. It represents exactly what the connection between giver and receiver means to us. Indeed, all the donors who have donated a prosthetic leg over the years have created and conveyed hope by sharing parts of their own lives with other individuals. This is why we want to celebrate this important event by expressing our infinite gratitude to all those who, with us, have believed and still believe in the importance of our mission.

With you, our small team has expanded, crossing geographical boundaries and facing all the challenges that have arisen. Together, we have given so many amputees in Africa the chance to be independent in their daily lives. 

“I am originally from South Africa and have experienced first-hand the effect of state funding running out and the limited componentry that is available in African countries. So it’s wonderful for me to be able to give something back in a small way and hopefully change some lives along the way. When you see what it means to people in these countries it really makes your heart swell! Prosthetic componentry is very expensive, I believe it is a complete waste not to recycle parts to less fortunate people, especially considering that we are unable to do anything with them”

Daniel Stevens, prosthetist at OAPL Prosthetics and Orthotics Shenton Park, Australia

Want to ensure our vital work in The Gambia continues for the next two years? Donate to our Leg Up campaign and get your money doubled, until December 24th 2021