An 18-year-old girl from the African nation of Mozambique, was recently fitted with the famed Jaipur Foot by the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta Samiti (BMVSS) here.
Florencia Castigo of Inhambane province in southern part of Mozambique,lost her right leg in an accidental landmine blast two years ago, and was unable to get an artificial limb in her country.
"Florencia apart from losing her right leg received severe burn injuries in her left leg and hands and was treated in Mozambique.
"But as there is no facility for fitting of artificial limbs in Mozambique, she could barely walk with the help of crutches," a release of BMVSS said.
As she could not afford to go to a country where she could get the artificial limb, an NGO of Mozambique Alternative Mine Action (ATM) and a US-based NGO Help One Walk (HOW) took the challenge of rehabilitating Florencia.
The two NGO officials John Mullen and Douglas Bowman with the help of a US university- California Polytechnic University, approached theBMVSS with Florencia's case.
The founderand chief patron of the BMVSS, D R Mehta, examined the case and found that she could be fitted with Jaipur Foot and told them to send Florencia to Jaipur and assured of free treatment.
"The girl along with the officials of the two NGOs came to Jaipur andwas provided with a limb on Thursday," the release said.
The girl was provided with two above the knee limbs developed by BMVSS and Stanford University, that was adjudged the 50 best innovations by Time magazine.
