ROMP

Y'all can see that I have added a new link on the sidebar to an organization that is incredibly inspiring and just downright AWESOME. ROMP, or the Range of Motion Project was co-founded by a classmate of mine from college, Eric Neufeld. Needless to say I am amazed by and so proud of the wonderfully important work that this organization and its committed volunteers are doing around the world to help facilitate independence for those who require prosthetic or orthodic devices.

So far ROMP has done work in Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Pakistan, and Ecuador.

From the website:

Mission
ROMP was founded in response to the critical shortage of orthotic and prosthetic services faced by a majority of disabled individuals in the developing and war torn world. Our purpose is to facilitate the distribution of necessary resources and training in order to serve people living with amputations and other disabilities.

Goals
Romp will begin providing no-cost prosthetic limbs, orthotic bracing, and training throughout the developing world. The initial project will be in Zacapa, Guatemala in collaboration with Hearts In Motion (HIM). Our initial goals are to:

· Increase US awareness of the lack of rehabilitative medicine throughout the world.

· Build an orthotic & prosthetic laboratory in Zacapa, attached to a rehabilitation complex.

· Assemble a team to evaluate and fabricate prosthetic limbs for amputees within Zacapa.

· Begin training local practitioners.

Vision
ROMP recognizes the hardship of living in poverty without a prosthetic or orthotic device and understands how important these, often times simple devices, are to those who do not have access to them.

In many cases, a prosthetic or orthotic device is a critical component in a disabled person's rehabilitation. With this "tool", independence, mobility and involvement in community and the socio-economic structure can become more attainable. Rehabilitation has the power to increase visibility of the disabled and awareness can change attitudes and help people see that "disability" is only as crippling as the barriers we let stand in our minds and in our world.

Together, with the help of trained prosthetists and orthotists, care givers, volunteers and generous donors, ROMP's vision of offering independence and hope to countless individuals will become a reality.

I strongly urge you to visit ROMP's website to become inspired, learn more about what they have accomplished and what they will accomplish with your support, and help make this important work possible. What more could the loved ones on you holiday shopping lists ask for?