We are pleased to announce that BEGECA started its first 2-year pilot project with the aim to improve the prosthetic care for the population in and around Makeni, Sierra Leone. In cooperation with DAHW (Deutsche Lepra- and Tuberkulosehilfe e.V.), Enevra and Caritas Makeni an orthopaedic workshop in Makeni will be equipped and trained in the use of 3D-printers for the production of customized lower-arm prostheses for both children and adults. 

Historically, due to more than 10 years of civil war, which ended in 2002, a particularly large number of people in Sierra Leone lives with arm and leg amputations. Those people are often social outcasts with fewer opportunities for a life in dignity.

Through the local production of the 3D-printed prostheses, these become affordable (~70$). In the long-term, the access to prostheses with a high quality will be established, and lower leg prostheses will be developed.