News & events
Visit to FoCT Programmes by “Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope”
Posted on Sep 17th, 2011 by
In August 2011, Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope Patron, Richard Bacon, and Trustee, Victoria Bacon, visited the Jaipur Limb Centre in Kagera, Tanzania – the first project which the charity is supporting to help limbless children abroad.
FoCT is all about connecting people from vastly different walks of life, and making things happen to benefit disabled and vulnerable children here in Tanzania. Last week, we hosted a visit by one of partner organisations, “Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope” (ELoH). One of ELofH’s founders,
Victoria Bacon, was also joined by her husband, Richard Bacon, who is a UK Member of Parliament from Norfolk.
One of FoCT’s key partners in Tanzania is the Anglican supported “Community Based Rehabilitation Programme” CBRP) in the extreme North West of Tanzania, on the borders with Rwanda and Uganda. Richard and Victoria visited this CBR programme. Below is one of the clients, Sharifa, sitting on Victoria’s lap. Sharifa’s story is one of real hope, reflecting the old adage that prevention is beter than cure. Through early intervention to treat a terrible bone infection, we awere able to save her leg from being amputated. That’s one less limb to be provided at the Jaipur limb centre we are establishing, and one big success story attributable to ELofH’s support.
Motorbikes (pikipikis in Swahili) in this part of Tanzania are now used as taxis, as they have been for many years in West Africa. Many amputations are as a result of pikipiki accidents on the newly paved roads. ELofH and FoCT therefore teamed up to support an Anglican led road safety campaign in Karagwe district, to try to reduce the dramatic increase in serious accidents leading to amputations.
FoCT has found that when a parent loses a limb, his or her ability to earn an income is severely impaired, which has very adverse implications for their children, who are often withdrawn from school and forced to go and work themselves. We therefore also support adults with limbs as well.
Watch a video made by Victoria about the trip, uploaded on the BBC News website on 18th September.
You can also find out about Victoria and Richard’s wonderful visit to Tanzania through the following links:
