Giving Back Their Mobility

Our limbs play the important role of providing us with mobility. Losing a limb is a traumatic event likely to completely change the life of the affected person and their family. Over the last few decades, Colombo Friend in Need Society (CFINS) has been a haven for distressed amputees. It is the oldest charity in Sri Lank and provides prosthetics, hostel facilities, food, physiotherapy, psychological support and related follow up services, completely free of charge to all amputees in need.

A visit to CFINS was filled with touching encouraging sights. A small group of older amputees were gathered around the parallel bars, chatting and cheering on a relatively new amputee practicing walking using a prosthetic limb.

These prosthetic limbs are manufactured at CFINS premises itself. Near the prosthetics workshop area, a 60+ year old gent showed us his worn off prosthetic limb explaining that he revisited the society to obtain a replacement limb.

He was full of praise for the free services offered by CFINS and how much it has helped him.

In addition to the rehabilitation services, the Society provides employment opportunities as well. One of the technicians employed in the workshop was an amputee himself. He was glad to be employed at the same place that provided him the means to walk again enabling him to live independently while helping other amputees too.

Re-learning how to walk again with an artificial limb is no easy task and physiotherapy is vital in ensuring amputees gain the maximum benefit of being fitted with an artificial limb. Revival Physical Medicine Centre, a private standalone center pioneering in providing physiotherapy and pain management in Sri Lanka has been instrumental in providing a well-equipped physiotherapy unit to CFINS.“ONCE an artificial limb is fitted, the next important step is to get familiarized with it to use it effectively.