500 miles

500 miles is a small Scottish charity which develops and supports prosthetic and orthotic services in Malawi, Zambia and Zanzibar and  trains Malawian, Zambian and Zanzibari people to work in them.  The aim is to create sustainable centres which will provide prosthetic and orthotic services for future generations.
 
One of the benefits of Walkodile is simply that it promotes walking for children.  Walkodile makes walking safe and fun while the children get their essential, habit forming exercise.  
 
Our children are able to walk normally & we take this for granted.  If children in the UK need artificial legs (prostheses) or limb supports (orthoses) to enable them to walk, the National Health Service will provide whatever devices the children need.  They will be state of the art and usually free.  

In poor countries of Africa, many children who are born with missing or malformed legs, or who suffer accidents or disease which results in limb loss or deformity, simply cannot get access to or afford the basic and relatively cheap devices which would allow them to go to school, be accepted by society and enjoy their childood. This is simply due to poverty of their national health services which have higher priorities than rehabilitation of disabled people.

Today, 500 miles also funds and subsidises individuals to buy what they need from centres which 500 miles supports. The charge for an average prosthesis or orthosis from one of 500 miles' centres (albeit subsidised by 500 miles) is just £30.

500 miles takes its name from The Proclaimers famous song, "I would walk 500 miles".  
 
Since Walkodile is all about encouraging our children to get outdoors more & enjoy walking, we support 500 miles to help less fortunate children in Africa have the chance to walk again.

For more information, please go to www.500miles.co.uk.