Tzu Chi Great Love Physical Rehabilitation and Jaipur Foot Manufacturing Center

Being located in one of the poorest region in the Philippines and near violent prone areas due to muslim insurgency,  we see a lot of elderly people needing physical rehabilitations in many of our MEDICAL/DENTAL and SIGHTSAVING MISSIONS in far flung barangays.  Aside from that we received a lot of request for assistance from indigent amputees asking for FREE leg prosthesis.  Aside from amputees due to violence, there are also amputees due to vehicular accidents, disease (diabetes and excessive smoking). Since most of the victims were former breadwinners, mobility is a must.  Without a leg, they are consigned to their homes resulting to low self-esteem, reduce family income and other resulting social problems.  There is a long waiting list of applicants for free prosthesis not just from Zamboanga City but as far as Basilan, Jolo, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and even Ozamis and this list gets added to day by day.   The center will also help children with congenital absence or limb abnormalities that can benefit from the center.

Recognizing the importance of helping amputees stand on their own two feet, the construction of Tzu Chi Great Love Physical Rehabilitation and Jaipur Foot Manufacturing Center is almost 90% done.  Construction started immediately after the formal groundbreaking ceremonies on the latter part of February 2004.  It took only a little more than three months to complete since the Tzu Chi Great Love Rehabilitation Center will formally open on July 19, 2004. 

The Center will also house the Mahaveer Jaipur Foot Manufacturing Center.  This will be the most modern Jaipur Foot Manufacturing Center in the country and only the second one in the Philippines.  The first and most established Jaipur Foot Manufacturing Facility is in the Philippine Orthopedic Center.  The Philippine Orthopedic Center through Dra. Laly Beredo was instrumental in opening the eyes of the local Tzu Chi volunteers on the importance and helping amputees help themselves. The Philippine Orthopedic Center, in cooperation with the PAL Foundation, Mahaveer Philippine Foundation and the Zamboanga City Medical Center joined forces with Tzu Chi Zamboanga in hosting 4 Tzu Chi-Jaipur Foot Camps in Zamboanga City benefiting 78 amputees from Region IX.  With the free Jaipur Foot and proper Rehabilitation, the amputees can regain their self-esteem and go back to the productive workforce for some it meant gaining back the confidence to resume their schooling....  By making them stand on their own two feet, we them give back hope and aspiration as they start to rebuild their lives.  This we witness before our very eyes in all our four Tzu Chi Jaipur Foot Camps.  The BIYA SUNA drama at DA-AI TV reinforced our believe and created the urgency for us to establish one in Zamboanga City as soon as possible.

The Tzu Chi Great Love Physical Rehabilitation Center conforms to international standards and adhered closely to the Disability Access Law of Philippines with amenities made for the comfort of persons with special needs, which the center intends to serve and is made for.   The center will house the most modern Physical Rehabilitation equipments procured through a soft loan granted by the Spanish government to the Zamboanga City Medical Center.  Tzu Chi Foundation will also donate new equipments to ensure faster rehabilitation not only of Jaipur Foot recipients and amputees but also for the elderly and stroke patients needing Physical Rehabilitation.  Tzu Chi Medical Volunteer and ZCMC Dept of Rehabilitation head Dr. Raymond Sator will run the center with complete support from Tzu Chi Zamboanga.

From a cramped facility at the back of the ZCMC, The Department of Physical Rehabilitation will move to the newest and spacious Tzu Chi Great Love Physical Rehabilitation Center on July 17, 2004.  The opening of the center coincides with the kick off of the National Disability Week in the Philippines.  As early as now, Tzu Chi Zamboanga have already received letters from neighboring provinces and cities to hold foot camps in their respective places.  In Zamboanga City alone with a population of over 700,000 people, census showed that there are over 6,000 amputeers needing prosthesis due to accidents, diseases, congenital defects and due to violent incidents like bombing or war.

Tzu Chi Zamboanga would like to thank all the donors all over the Philippines who contributed in the realization of this very important project most especially to Tzu Chi members in Manila and Cebu.  The seed fund for the center came from the proceeds of the highly successful ONE MEGA FAIR and CHRISTMAS BAZAAR Year 3 at the Garden Orchid Convention last December 2003 and the sale of over 2,000 pieces LOVE MUGS, fresh flowers and chocolates during Valentine’s Day by the Tzu Chi Youth volunteers from Manila, Cebu and Zamboanga.  It was not an easy task raising funds given the prevailing economic climate in the country; but with strong vow, courage and perseverance with lots of love and guidance from Dharma Master Cheng Yen, the local volunteers worked very hard in turning their collective dream into making the 2.7M Tzu Chi Great Love Physical Rehabilitation Center a reality.   To the present, past and future recipients of the Tzu Chi Foundation, the volunteers and members are very grateful for your trust and for giving Tzu Chi the rare opportunity to Restore Hope, Rebuild Lives One Foot at a Time.