OUR TESTIMONIALS

Maria history

Maria, 67 years old, lives in Inhambane, Mozambique. She is missing both a leg below the knee and a forearm.

As a young mother of five children, her husband began to physically abuse her, following an argument. When she tried to escape, he grabbed a knife and started stabbing her. He severed her arm completely, then he continued to attack her entire body. Believing he had killed her, he went to the police to turn himself in. But Maria was alive! However, due to the severity of her injuries, the doctors had to amputate part of her leg as well, turning her life into a permanent prison.

But Maria did not give up. With the support of her neighbours and family, she forged ahead in life. During the SwissABILITY training in Inhambane in August 2024, Maria received a Monolimb prosthesis that brought a smile back to her face.

Joseph history

Joseph is 42 years old and is a refugee from South Sudan.

In 2021, during the civil war, rebels raided his home and shot his father and all his uncles who were around at the time. Despite the bullet lodged in his leg, Joseph managed to escape. After spending four days hiding in the forest, he found people willing to help him get to a hospital in the nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo, where doctors amputated his leg.

To be close to his family, he was able to move from the DRC to the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda, where his wife and six children were waiting for him. Joseph received a Monolimb prosthesis during the SwissABILITY mission in Uganda in June 2024.

Brigitte history

We met Brigitte in Ziguinchor, Senegal, at the orthopedic centre we inaugurated in April 2024.

Brigitte has a radiant smile that lights up the entire room. Yet – like too many people from the Casamance region – she has an all-toocommon story. In 2018, she was walking with friends when she accidentally stepped on an abandoned landmine. The explosion was devastating, leaving, Brigitte without part of her right leg. Some people rushed to the scene of the accident, loaded Brigitte onto a cart, and transported her to the hospital.

Unfortunately, the damage caused by the mine was too severe to be treated, and doctors had to amputate her leg below the knee. However, Brigitte did not let herself be defeated and courageously faces the world with her beautiful smile, now als o proudly sporting her new colourful leg.

Ibrahim history

Ibrahim lives in Sierra Leone and is just 4 years old, a lively child full of energy who brings joy to everyone around him.

Due to a congenital condition, he was born missing some fingers on his hands, a part of one leg, and with clubfoot on the other.

The SwissABILITY technicians prepared a special orthosis for his clubfoot and a new custom leg during the mission in Freetown in February 2024. Without hesitation, Ibrahim agreed to try the new prosthetics. His determination surprised everyone: in no time, he was already able to walk, run, and play with his friends. Thanks to this new leg, Ibrahim has gained a new sense of freedom. Now he can explore the world with renewed energy, take on new challenges, and continue to bring smiles to everyone he meets.

Almeida history

We met Almeida in Quelimane, Mozambique, during the SwissABILITY training for orthopedic technicians in December 2023.

When Almeida was just 13 years old, he was forced to join the army, where he served for ten years. Shortly before being discharged at the end of the war, he stepped on a landmine, losing his leg instantly.

Upon returning home, he discovered that his entire family had died in the 10 years he had been gone. His parents and some of his siblings lost their lives in the conflict, while others succumbed to illness. Almeida rebuild his life and is now happily married and has twin daughters, aged 13. Thanks to the SwissABILITY training, he received a new Monolimb prosthesis.

Lamin history

Lamin lives in The Gambia, and when we met him in 2023, he was 19 years old with a huge dream in his heart: to become a doctor to help people in need, as other doctors helped him early in 2023,when he broke his leg playing football with friends.

The hospital was far away and so his friends decided to take him to a traditional healer, who applied a herbal compress to his fracture.After the compress was removed 15 days later, the leg was in such bad condition, that the hospital was left with no choice but to amputate it.

The prosthesis he received during the SwissABILITY training in Banjul in August 2023 is his first artificial leg. Nevertheless, as soon as he put it on, without hesitation Lamin
started walking and running like the sporty guy he always was.

Nayigga history

Nayigga is 21 years old and is from Kazo, a city in the western region of Uganda. She lives with her mother, Nannozi, who separated from her father when she was still a child, leaving Nannozi to raise Nayigga and her 5 siblings on her own.

When she was just three years old, Nayigga was attacked by a psychiatrically disturbed man who broke into their house and hacked off her leg. The man escaped before her parents could return, by which time Nayigga had lost a lot of blood. The only solution was to permanently amputate her leg in the hospital.

Nayigga is a smiling and happy young lady. Her positive spirit got her through life which improved even more when she started playing amputee football. She plays defense for the Federation of Uganda Amputee Football Association (FUAFA) team, whose president encouraged her to attend SwissABILITY’s training in Luweero in August 2023 to receive a new prosthesis.

Ruhanatu history

Ruhanatu is a 15-year-old girl living in Ghana. Ruhanatu’s life has not been easy. At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a severe bone infection, which led to the amputation of her right leg below the knee. This traumatic event deeply affected Ruhanatu, making her feel insecure and limited in her abilities.

The turning point in Ruhanatu’s life came thanks to SwissABILITY, which provided her with a prosthesis during a training mission in Nsawam in July 2023. Ruhanatu has truly regained a sense of peace.

Now she can live her life without limitations, pursuing her dreams with a renewed sense of freedom and confidence. Ruhanatu’s story is a powerful example of how the right support can transform lives, providing hope and new opportunities to those in greatest need.

Joselina history

When we met Joselina in Nampula, Mozambique, in 2023, she was only one year old and still not walking, but life had already presented her with enormous challenges.

Born without a leg due to a congenital condition, a few months after her birth, she and her mother had to flee their home in the north of the country to escape the terrorist attacks that plague the region. Arriving in Nampula with the few belongings she managed to bring, Joselina’s mother struggled to build a better life for herself and her daughter. When she discovered that SwissABILITY was at the orthopedic center in Nampula for training local orthopedic technicians in June 2023, she didn’t hesitate for a moment and showed up, hoping that we could help Joselina.

The technicians didn’t think twice and crafted her first Monolimb, with which she began to take her first steps.

Comfort history

Comfort lives in Sierra Leone and lost her leg in 2019 in a tragic accident while she was the passenger in a bicycle taxi that was in collision with a car. The taxi driver died instantly. Comfort survived, but her leg was completely shattered and could not be saved.

From that moment on, her life changed dramatically: she thought she would never again be able to walk, work, and take care of her three children. She was depressed and was sure she could never be happy again. Fortunately, her family stood by her every step of the way. Her sister looked after her throughout her time in the hospital and her husband took care of the children and encouraged her through every stage of her recovery. “I have a wonderful husband!” she tells us, with shining eyes and a bright smile.

Comfort received a prosthesis during the SwissABILITY training in Freetown in May 2023.

Bashiru history

Bashiru is 8 years old and lives in Bo, Sierra Leone, with his family. He is amputated above the knee due to a congenital condition.

We had already met Bashiru in 2022, but we could not provide him with a new prosthesis due to a tumor on his residual limb, which needed to be removed first. After the operation, we were finally able to craft him a new prosthesis during an orthopedic training in Freetown in 2023. He had never had one before and had never been able to walk on his legs, having been born with a congenital condition.

Now, with his new leg, Bashiru is able to take his very first steps. He is the youngest soccer player on Bo’s SLASA team and he dreams of becoming a doctor to help people in need.

Ayuba history

Ayuba is an 18-year-old young man living in Impiri, a rural village near Pemba, Mozambique. He has only attended primary school, speaks only the Shanga dialect, and does small jobs in the fields to support his large family.

In 2012, when Ayuba was only 10 years old, he was bitten by a snake on his leg while playing in a field with some friends. Ayuba’s family took him to a countryside hospital, but they didn’t have the means to treat him properly. They then transferred him to Pemba Provincial Hospital, but in the 3 days that had passed since the accident, his wound had become gangrenous. It was determined that his leg be amputated below the knee.

A lack of family finances means that he had never been fitted with a prosthetic until becoming a patient of SwissABILITY mission in Pemba. In December 2022 he received a modular prosthesis which he learned to use with surprising ease.

Antunes history

Antunes had his left leg amputated below the knee due to the explosion of a landmine in 1991, during the height of the civil war.

Antunes was indeed a soldier in the Mozambican army, and during a combat near Maputo, he accidentally stepped on a landmine hidden in the ground. Although he was immediately taken to a military hospital, it was impossible to treat him in any way, and the doctors proceeded with the amputation below the knee.

Since 1992, Antunes has meticulously maintained the only prosthesis he ever had – until now! His new Monolimb prosthesis received by SwissABILITY in Pemba is of great benefit to his mobility and peace of mind.

Paulo history

While working on a construction site in 2013, the tractor Paulo was driving overturned, trapping him beneath it, breaking his right leg.

Although he wanted to be taken to the hospital, Paulo was persuaded to go to a traditional healer, as is the local custom. The lack of appropriate treatment caused a gangrene to set in below the knee. Haven already lost all sensitivity to the bottom part of his leg, Paulo amputated it himself with a razor blade – then set out to the hospital to receive adequate treatment.

In November 2022, during the orthopedic training in Pemba, Mozambique, Paulo received a Monolimb, which is lighter and more comfortable and agile than the prosthesis he had previously.

Ana Maria history

Ana Maria is 43 years old and lost her leg in 1989 when she was just nine years old. Along with her parents and two brothers, Ana Maria was fleeing the civil war in a bus from the city of Nampula. She was the only one in her family to survive when the convoy they were in was attacked by rebels. Many others perished but other survivors of the massacre found her where she lay and took her to the hospital.

The overstrained medical facility made the choice to amputate her seriously wounded leg.

The dramas that Ana Maria has faced in life has not dampened her sense of humour, nor diminished her smile. Her previous prosthesis caused her chronic pain and her hope is that the new prosthesis received by SwissABILITY in Nampula in June 2024 will be the beginning of a pain free mobility that will encourage her infectious laugher all the more.

Antonio history

Antonio is 59 years old and lives in Mozambique. During the civil war, 20-year-old Antonio was shot in the right knee. In the hospital he was treated at, he was told that the bullet had been successfully removed.

Ten years later (1994) Antonio’s wound began hurting again. A lot! Returning to the hospital, he discovered that the bullet had never been extracted. In the meantime, an untreatable infection had set in, and the doctors were left with no option but to amputate his leg above the knee.

With the new prosthesis received in Nampula in June 2023, Antonio hopes to resume a full life, continue his work at the Municipality, and take care of his many grandchildren—all activities that were more challenging with the old prosthesis.

Julieta history

Julieta is 53 years old and lost her leg in 1994 during the civil war in Mozambique.

Along with others, she had taken cover in a school building. A convoy of rebels passed by and threw numerous hand grenades at the building. Nobody died in the attack, but many were injured, including Julieta.

Her leg had been torn apart and after several hours, she was taken to the hospital, where what remained of her leg was sewn into a stump.

Julieta is a proud and determined lady who does not easily let the adversities of life get her down. She hopes that her new prosthesis will allow her to do everything that her old, heavy, and worn-out one didn’t.

Ebrima history

Ebrima is 20 years old and is a highly efficient care giver for amputee patients at the orthopedic centre in Banjul, The Gambia. As an amputee himself, he better understands his patients needs

In 2006, at the age of 3, he was hit by a car and lost the mobility of his left leg, which no operation could restore. In the hope that he would get better care elsewhere, in 2013 his uncle took him to Germany, but it was too late. His leg had to be amputated. Since then, Ebrima has tried his utmost to make the best of his situation. He remained in Germany for three years, where he played soccer with other amputees.

Upon his return to The Gambia, he founded the National Amputee Football Association, in which he is also plays. Ebrima is also the country’s first blade runner. Ebrima is a man with a thousand ideas and wants all amputees in The Gambia to reach their fullest potential.

During the SwissABILITY training in Banjul in August 2023, he received a new Monolimb.

Ana history

Ana is 21 years old and lives in Mozambique. She cannot recall the event where she lost her legs, but was told that a baby, one night she woke up in her parents’ bed screaming in pain. They rushed her to the hospital, where both her legs and much of both hands were amputated.

She has two older and two younger brothers. Her mother passed away and she lives with her father, who has since remarried. Currently a high school student, Ana would like to contribute financially to
support her father and family. Despite the challenges she faces due to her amputations, she dreams of studying physiotherapy.

Ana is a very bright and intelligent girl. Thanks to the SwissABILITY training in Quelimane, she received two Monolimb prostheses, with which she will be able to be independent and continue to help her whole family with household chores and support those around her in times of difficulty.

La storia di Ines

Ines is a joyful 9 year old who lives with her parents, two sisters and a brother in Quelimane, Mozambique. She is the youngest in the family.

At 21 months old, Ines was strapped to the back of her mother, who was on a bicycle when they were involved in a hit and run accident. Ines’ leg was amputated that same day.

Despite her disability enjoys her childhood, going to school and playing with other children. In December 2023, SwissABILITY has gifted her with her first prosthesis in Quelimane, and she couldn’t be happier.

Beatrice history

Beatrice lives in Sierra Leone and was victim of a road accident when she was only three yearsold. She was crossing the road when a car crushed her foot. In the hospital, they decided to amputate her leg below the knee, and after a year, she was already wearing her first prosthesis.

In the initial yearspost-amputation, Handicap International provided her with prosthetics, but when the organization left the country, Beatrice was unable to afford a replacement. The previous artificial leg lasted for 4 years.

Currently, she is a student in the MIT program at the orthopedic centre in Bo, and she is thrilled to learn a profession that will enable her to help all those children who, like her, are unable walk due to amputation. During the training held in Freetown in February 2024, she received a new Monolimb.

Marta history

Marta lives in Mozambique, is 60 years old and has charm that wins you over and a smile that warms your heart. She lost her leg due to an accident during the civil war.

While trying to escape the horrors of the war in search of a safe place, Marta climbed onto the back of a van leaving the city of Inhambane. Unfortunately, due to the speed and the rough road, she was thrown off the van and broke a leg. No one stopped to help her, and Marta was left helpless and injured, abandoned on the road. After hours, some police officers came to her aid and transported her to the hospital, but it was too late: the doctors were forced to amputate her leg.

Thanks to the SwissABILITY training held in Inhambane in August 2024, Marta received a brand new Monolimb.

Vandi history

In 1993, when the civil war in Sierra Leone had been raging for two years, Vandi (then seventeen) witnessed rebels killing his parents.

Despite the trauma, he managed to escape, but rebels shot him during his flight, striking his leg. A few hours later Vandi was found by soldiers and taken to Kenema Hospital, where they decided to amputate his leg.

Rising again after so much pain was not easy, but today he can rely on the support of his wife and three children. He works as a decorator and painter, and today he can finally work with more agility and ease thanks to his first prosthesis received during the SwissABILITY training in Freetown in February 2024.

Ronald history

Ronald is a 28-year-old young man who, in August 2023, took part in demonstrations in the city of Ziguinchor, Senegal, in support of the then imprisoned opposition leader. The night after the protests, military personnel surrounded and entered his house with the intention of arresting him. However, they woke up Ronald’s sister-in-law, who started screaming. A panicked Ronald was shot while he tried to escape through the window, losing part of his foot.

Ronald had to make an emergency tourniquet with a belt while praying that his captors would take him to a hospital.

It was later discovered it was a case of mistaken identity, the military had been looking for someone else! Despite the adversities, Ronald continues to fight for a right world for everyone. During the training held in April 2024 in Ziguinchor, SwissABILITY provided him with a Chopart prosthesis.