Rotary Clubs, individual Rotarians, and friends can contribute with donations of used prosthesis and/or financially to help meet the goals of this humanitarian project and save lives of Iraq's amputees:

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW YOU MAY HELP, PLEASE CONTACT:

Ms. Vesselina Stoytcheva
Rotary Club of Capitol Hill
VNS Group, Inc.
601 Pennsylvania Ave NW
South Building, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: 202-434-8273
Fax: 301-934-1011
Cell: 240-441-7302
 vstoytcheva@vnsgroup.com

Make checks payable to Montgomery Village Rotary Club Foundation
(tax exempt under section 501 c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code) 

Please send comments to vstoytcheva@vnsgroup.com

Issue: Our information (from the Iraqi Ministry of Health in 2003) is that there are over 50,000 amputees in Iraq, 5,000 in the Basra area alone.   Many of these amputees are women and children who have been injured by land mines or as a consequence of war.   It was further estimated at that time that it would take some 20-30 years to address the needs of this existing amputee population, assuming no new cases.

The number of physically disabled in Iraq is on a steep rise as a result of landmines or other consequences of war and insurgency.  Many of war-related injuries include the innocent, often women and children. Many are innocent victims of land mines.  Women are known to work outdoors and children often play in unsafe areas including mined land.  Additionally, for the entire population the medical infrastructure in Iraq is so weak that delayed treatments of illnesses can also result in amputations.

The social and economic challenges that confront the disabled children (and adults) of war torn countries such as Iraq are most often insurmountable. Burdened with the physical inability to become mobile, many of the children are likely to be severely handicapped in striving to survive and their future prospects are bleak. Their lives will be adversely affected forever.  In Iraq, disability is linked to poverty.  The disabled are unable to function and are dependent on others for their existence and survival.  Iraq is not a wheelchair friendly environment.  The disabled are kept further away from any educational, social or economic opportunities and are at the mercy of institutions that might be able to provide free or low-cost health and subsistence support.  For those without limbs, the challenge is even greater, as the cost of amputee prosthesis is usually over the yearly income of most families.  In the case of Iraq, the estimated 2005 per capita income was $780.  The average cost of amputee prosthesis in the United States, on the other hand, is around $7,000 (Source: Quotation from Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc., a major supplier of prosthetics equipment).  Handicap and wheelchair friendly environments are largely unknown in Iraq.  Likelihood of amputees becoming productive members of such societies is extremely remote.

As a result of the wars and insurgent attacks, health care in Iraq has suffered substantially in both accessibility and quality.  Many of the health centers have been either looted or structurally damaged. Those that function are with basic supplies sufficient only to handle emergencies.  Emergency services are largely unavailable.  In the case of the disabled, improved care in the future has become less likely as many of the doctors and specialists have left the country to escape the conflict.  Those who remain behind are not expected to improve their skills and knowledge due to the lack of training, funding, and the large number of hours devoted to the job and endless emergency cases.  Before 2003, there were 11 medical centers reported that provided rehabilitation for the disabled; presently, only two have undergone structural rebuilding and are operational.

The role of landmines in the defense of countries is under international review and debate.  To better understand the validity of this proposal by Rotary and its partners, as set forth herein, it is important to review some of the facts reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the characteristics of landmines.  These small devices are triggered by wires or by as little as 6 kilograms of pressure; they cost $3-$75 to produce, yet cost $300 to $1,000 to deactivate. Accidental explosions can kill or damage even the most trained disposal experts. Their size, color and design lead children into believing they are harmless toys, yet children suffer the most bodily damage because they are small and their vital organs are closer to the ground. These landmines can remain active for decades; and are usually scattered randomly throughout suburban and rural areas where health care is limited or non-existent.

Satisfying Strategic Objective:  To provide training for Iraqi Ministry of Health physicians, prosthetists and technicians and medical supplies and equipment for the Basra Prosthetic Centre in order to facilitate manufacture of prosthetics for civilian Iraqi amputees.   The Basra Prosthetic Centre serves four regions:  Basra and three others.  The project entails capital outlay for the training venue in Amman, Jordan as it is unsafe to do this on the ground in Basra at this time as originally planned.  We have partnered with the Al Hussein Society in Amman, Jordan who have graciously accepted to be the training venue.   Ultimately, it is planned that the Basra Prosthetic Centre has updated equipment and adequate medical supplies. Additionally, as this is also a training mission, the Iraqi Ministry of Health Doctors and Prosthetists assigned to this Centre will receive training.  Ultimately, they will be able to meet the needs of the amputee population in the region.

The volunteer Rotarians in the Basra, Iraq Prosthetics Project have formed a number of distinguished outside partnerships. U.S. Department of State alone have awarded $1.7 million in grants to this project.

This project is entirely managed by volunteer Rotarians.  All funds and donations received go directly to the project.