Construction Begins for the Sierra Leone Prosthetics and Orthotics Center


POF launched its first rehabilitation program on the African continent in January 2005 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS). The memorandum confirms POF's intention to assist the MOHS with building, equipping and managing a Prosthetics and Orthotics Center in Makeni, the capital of Sierra Leone's Northern Province. The Center, which will be integrated into a new hospital in Makeni that is currently under construction, will provide urgently needed physical rehabilitation services throughout northern Sierra Leone.


The Prosthetics and Orthotics Center is under construction and slated for completion in February 2006. Once the center is complete, POF will help equip it with essential prosthetic fabrication equipment and tools as well as a start-up inventory of prosthetic materials and supplies. POF staff and volunteers will then provide supplemental training for local prosthetists and prosthetic technicians as necessary. Patient services are scheduled to begin in April 2006.


View the most recent construction photos.
Preparing the Site for Construction

Preparing the site for construction.

 
Digging Trenches to Lay the Foundation

Digging trenches to lay the foundation.
Architect, Engineer, and Project Supervisor

Rehabilitation Center architect, engineer, and POF project supervisor (l. to r.).

 
Bricks Ready to Use for Construction.

Bricks ready to use for construction.
The Walls Get Higher and Higher

The walls get higher and higher.

 

 
Outer Walls of Center Taking Shape

The outer walls of the Center are beginning to take shape.

 
The Walls Are Done!

The walls are up and now the roof can be built.

 

 
Another View of the Completed Walls

Another view of the completed walls.