Amputee Euan helping African children to walk
A Bath boy has been praised for giving African amputee children their mobility back after donating 10 prosthetic legs to a charity.
Euan Murray, 11, was born with a condition which meant his left leg had to be amputated below the knee before his first birthday.
He is one of around 250 babies born in the UK every year with the condition.
The youngster has championed a campaign to recycle children’s prosthetic legs through the Bristolbased charity Legs4africa.
He says in a video that a prosthetic leg “enables me to do everything I’m passionate for - which is mainly sport”.
“Since I was really small all I’ve ever really known is just having a prosthetic leg,” he said.
“If I didn’t have a leg and I was still an amputee I would be a very different person because I would be stuck in a wheelchair and I would miss out on a lot.
“I can express myself more because I can do what I want to do.
“My mum found out about Legs4africa and decided to get in touch because I had a lot of legs which aren’t in use and she wanted to find a worthwhile way to dispose them.”
He added: “I feel proud because I was once wearing these and now I’m giving them to people that really need them.”
One of Euan’s prosthetic legs went to Wudeh, seven, from Gambia.
Wudeh lost her leg when a car ploughed into the restaurant she was in - several of her family members were killed.
Thanks to Euan’s prosthetic, she is now back at school, back playing with her friends and back doing everything kids like to do.
Euan said: “We got lots of pictures of Wudeh from Facebook and you could see she was wearing my old leg and that was really amazing.
“I felt quite proud because I knew I was giving them to people who really need them.
“Wudeh, I hope this leg enables you to do everything that it helped me to do and it brings you happiness in your life.”
Through its smart recycling programme, Legs4africa is assisting hundreds of children just like Wudeh and ensuring that they receive the equipment and the support they need to walk again.
Legs4africa recycles outgrown children’s prosthetic legs - these are donated by hospitals and individuals across the UK.
The main cause for limb loss for children in Africa is from minor accidents.
The charity’s founder, Tom Williams, said most of the parts the charity receives are sent to a specialist mobility centre in Ghana.
He said: “It is a fantastic thing that Euan is doing.
“There is a huge demand for components to build children’s prosthetics in Africa.”
The World Health Organisation says just one in 10 people with physical disabilities in the developing world has access to the technology to assist them.
Legs4africa addresses part of this deficit by providing the means for amputees in Africa to walk comfortably and safely in societies where such services are not available.