Mobile Prosthetic ClinicMobile Prosthetic Clinic
The majority of the landmine survivors live in rural and sometimes very remote locations with very little access to any form of transport. The mobile clinic would be able to reach these survivors in order to provide them with prosthetics and basic health care services on a rotational basis.
During each visit to a location, the mobile clinic would not only fit new prosthetics but also attend to those survivors who require maintenance and servicing of their prosthetics.
Prosthetic Clinic and Workshop
Currently the Foundation sources its prosthetics from our partners in South Africa as there is no suitable infrastructure in Mozambique. By establishing a permanent clinic and workshop, components could beshipped directly there and the manufacture/customisation process be done closer to the source. The clinic would be mentored by our prosthetics partners and a programme put in place to train local skills to fulfilthese roles in the future.
The clinic would also serve as an operational hub for the mobile clinics and also provide basic health services.
THE AID FREE ZONE MODELTHE AID FREE ZONE MODEL
The Aid Free Zone is initiative by the Mineseeker operating in a range of countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The Aid Fee Zone consists of a number of sustainable solutions for those people affected by war such as the rehabilitation of land, building commercial and social infrastructures, rebuilding communities and assisting people with prosthetics.
Unlocking economic potential requires an approach that taps into existing resource bases, and develops entrepreneurial skills in a practical, appropriate and market driven manner.
The first trend is to establish rural trading (or collection) (CaTCH) points, creating a market for local produce and therefore harnessing existing agricultural potential.
The second is to establish Settlers Villages based on the principles of permaculture and guaranteedmarkets.
The third trend addresses the establishment of large scale commercial projects – in this instance aWhole Coconut Processing Factory.
This approach, discussed with and approved by local government, aims to develop productive,profitable micro-enterprises and farming units and is an ideal vehicle to achieve long termsustainable social and economic growth.
The Aid Free Zone concept takes the concept of Aid to a completely different level. It argues that AIDdoes not work, in the generally accepted form. It fact it kills people. Mike Kendrick, the Founder ofMineseeker has publicly argued that the biggest killer in Africa is not AIDS. It is AID.
If not applied correctly AID simply generates a universe of people who’s only skill in life is to accept aid. They have no skills left to self generate any wealth or sustain themselves in any way.
This is evidenced by the fact that, over the last decades $2.5 trillion has been donated to Africa. Yetthe average African is now twice as poor as before the aid started. The more aid goes on appliedincorrectly, the poorer the people will become. The more we will kill.
This basic truth was given to Mike Kendrick in a meeting with Nelson Mandela. Madiba and Mr Kendrick have met many times but a few specific words affected him profoundly. ‘If you give a hungry man a bag of grain, all he can do is eat it’. He has no skills to sow, grow, reap and sell the produce. The skills have been long forgotten by himself his children, his children’s children and so on.
‘Could we design and fund a village that is self sustainable; That needed some front end funding but would produce profit at the other end: That would become an AID FREE ZONE?’
It would publicly demonstrate that aid can work. It is the only way for Africa to stand on it own two feet.
There is no other way.
We are starting with a simple structure. We are building (taking over an existing) village. We are creating acooperative farm around the village. We are teaching the population how to sow, grow, reap and sell excessproduce. We are taking the money and use the profit to add on more land, other food processing outletsand around we go in a spiral of education and profit. AID FREE!!
Initial, one time humanitarian investment will be needed to create our first AID FREE ZONE