Take My Hands is a charitable organisation that arranges the collection of unwanted prosthetic limbs, orthotic and medical equipment and ships it to developing countries where it can be used by people in need.
Founded in November 2010, Take My Hands started off as a Pilot Project shipping redundant prosthetic limbs from the Wellington Artificial Limb Centre to the Hope Rehabilitation Society in Lahore, Pakistan. A big success, the organisation has since been working on additional projects aimed to improve the quality of living, independence, and participation in the life of their community.
The ultimate vision is to create social impact on communities worldwide by redistributing equipment and health-related materials, and to create health and wellbeing improvements for those in need.
"Basically we're aiming to be a kind of dating agency for equipment - matching those that have it with those that need it. The impact of our work is twofold. Environmentally we're aiming to minimise waste through redistribution and recycling, and socially we're looking to improve the lives of people in need by making this equipment accessible," says co-founder Janette Searle.
Take My Hand's founders say Launchpad incubation will help the team to develop a strong plan to consolidate and grow the programme. This will include setting up a workshop space to repair and refurbish equipment and the development of a strong plan and support for expanding their work with hubs in other countries.
