Artificial Limb Camp

The valedictory fnuction of an atrificial limb camp, a part of the helping hands project happened on Saturday the 6th of August in the AM.

Helping hands is a joint project of the RC of Chennai Kilpauk and Strathcona Sunrise. This was the first of the artificial limb camps this year. The enxt camp would be for the disabled in a town called Vellore about 160 Kms from Chennai and the third camp will be in the second week of January next year when Rtn. Chip Ross visits us.

At this camp we gave away 65 limbs all of them legs to 65 disabled people.

Mr. Princeson Jose of Prince Jewellers was the Chief guest for the function and he was so touched with what he saw and experienced he made a donation to the project after the fnuction. Some people can handle disability and some find it difficult to do so. venkatesh is a boy of about 16 years of age who lost his left leg in a traffic related accident about 8 months ago. His father and mother have been a great support and have seen him thorugh difficult times and in fact the mother was there with him at the camp. She tells me that they are now finding it difficult to continue his studies because of the extra cost involved because of his disability. This boy definitely neesd counselling and help.

I do hope helping hands goes one step further in the comnig years and is able to set up a counsellnig center for disabled people. No vocational trainnig, no monetary help here, only counselling and talking them into standing on their own feet.

There was a girl however, who in the pictures is wearing a green dress who has adjusted to her disability remarkably. She stopped studying and took on a job and seems quite happy with her life. I asked her fi I could help her pursue her studies to which she responded ni the negative and asid that she was happy now working.

Helping Hands has been and always will be a very rewarding project.