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| Bellaire and Southwest Houston Help Bring Rotary Jaipur Limb Project to Haiti |
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Bellaire Rotarian Surpris Cherazard and former member Roselene Alexis just returned from a mission of mercy to give Haitian earthquake amputees a chance to resume normal activities with the amazing Jaipur prosthetic limbs. The joint trip with West U, Skyline, and Fort Bend Rotarians kicked off Haitian expansion of the The Rotary Jaipur Limb Project, which has been primarily focused in Africa and India.
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They were accompanied by Past District Governor Sunny Sharma of Fort Bend Rotary, West U Rotary Past President John Collier, and Bellaire residents John and Vicki Brentin of Skyline Rotary. On August 2, Cherazard will present a comprehensive keynote luncheon program to Bellaire/SW Rotarians on the status and goals of this remakable humanitarian effort. The group participated in Haitian District 7020's  annual conference to promote Bio-Med education that teaches Haitians how to repair hospital medical equipment, inspected hospitals and ambulances, and met Bio-Med graduates. WHAT IS THE JAIPUR LIMB? It is an artificial leg, developed at the Mahaveer hospital in Jaipur, India, that uniquely combines wood with various densities of rubber vulcanised into a realistic-looking brown foot that is hard-wearing and significantly cheaper than Western prosthetics: it can be made and fitted for as little as $40, compared to approximately $1500 - $3100 if Western technology is used. The Rotary Jaipur Limb Project (RJLP) was begun a couple of decades ago by British and Irish Rotarians and initially focused on African and Indian amputees. In the wake of the January 2010 Haitian earthquake, RJLP announced intent to build a limb-camp for 5,000+ Haitian amputees. Under the direction of Haiti District Governor Dr. Guy Theordore (District 7020), training has now begun at Bienfaisance Hospital in the Northern part of the island. See a fascinating and informative video on the project and the Jaipur process at The Rotary Jaipur Limb Project website. Click to DOWNLOAD an informational brochure and to get an update on the status in Haiti two years after the quake.
Above photostrip L to R: Surpris Cherazard congratulates newly-fitted limb owner; Rotarians from Bellaire and Southwest Houston arrive at the grand opening of Haiti's new Jaipur Limb Project camp (Roselene Alexis, Surpris Cherazard, John Collier, Sunny Sharma, Vicki Brentin); Surpris with limb recipeints; After Cherazard, Collier, and Sharma discussed the Bio-Med training at Diquini Adventist Hospital, they are ready to travel to the North part of the island; Bio-Med graduates shared emotional experiences with Rotarians about how much the limb-program means to them and their country. |
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Bellaire / Southwest Houston Rotary Club
