By Omobonike Adebayo |
Towards the commemoration of 2023 Limb Loss Awareness Month and the celebration of its annual advocacy walk tagged, ‘Out On A Limb’, The Irede Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, is set to hold the 9th edition of its Out-On-A-Limb advocacy walk.
The organisation which focuses on encouraging children living with limb loss (either acquired or congenital) to live a life of fulfillment, has tagged the walk, “A Walk for Inclusion.”
It is scheduled to hold on Saturday, April 8, 2023, across 60 locations globally, and is aimed at creating awareness as well as fund raising for children living with limb loss in Nigeria, and to also spotlight the challenges peculiar to them while celebrating their uniqueness and ability to thrive against all odds.
The Executive Director, Crystal Chigbu, while addressing journalists during a press conference said that, A Walk for Inclusion stems from a place of necessity.
Chigbu said the foundation (TIF) started as a result of her personal journey when she gave birth to a daughter without bones in her legs and ultimately they had to amputate her legs.
“As I continued in life, I realized there were a lot of children like her, I wanted to put an end to stigmatisation, I wanted to ensure inclusion in the society, and inspire people with disabilities that it is possible to live a full life.
“And ‘Out On A Limb’ will be the platform for people with disabilities to care about and see themselves as part of the larger world”
Chigbu added that, “the crucial thing is that we can’t do it alone, so we need the help of the media to help spread awareness and it is limb loss awareness month which makes it all perfect!”
Also corroborating the ED’s points, the Senior Programs Officer of the Foundation, Wuraola Kayode emphasised the role of the media in the event as it gives it a higher chance of success. She urged the media to continue to partner with the foundation as it advances in the journey.
She said, “It is important that we have the media involved in this. There is a lot we can do with the publicity that comes with it. Last year, we got the highest referral (of children with limb loss) so far and that was because word kept spreading, and some people heard about The Irede Foundation for the first time last year. Overall, we had over 450 referrals and we were able to provide a total of a hundred and two limbs.
“This year, the walk will be held across 60 global locations simultaneously and the foundation aims to have an indirect reach of 15,000,000 people with 5,000 participants which will enable opportunity to raise awareness about limb loss and limb difference, increase top-of-mind awareness about the limb loss and the support available for children with disabilities, inclusive education, and raise funds to continue to empower child amputees.”
According to the Foundation, in 2022, it provided a total of one hundred and two (102) prosthetic limbs to ninety-one (91) child amputees, three (3) of which came from proceeds from the walk.
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