Charities supporting the prosthetic and orthotic user

In much of sub-Saharan Africa, prosthetic services remain chronically underfunded. Government support is minimal, and local markets for affordable prosthetic technology are virtually non-existent. The result? Millions of people living with limb loss are left without mobility, independence, or inclusion. Not because solutions are unavailable, but because they remain out of reach.

At STAND, we exist to change that, not by becoming a permanent fixture, but by acting as a catalyst.

Our model is simple but transformative

We recover high-quality prosthetic components destined for landfill in the Global North, refurbish them, and deliver them free of charge to rehabilitation centres in low-income countries. But this is just the beginning.

We strengthen clinics. We mentor local prosthetists. We support emotional rehabilitation and invest in upgrading essential infrastructure. We create space for innovation and help lay the groundwork for future, affordable markets to thrive.

Our work is not about fostering dependency. It’s about restoring dignity. Our ultimate goal is to become unnecessary, to step away having helped build sustainable, locally led prosthetic ecosystems that can stand on their own.

How the industry can shape the future of STAND

For over a decade, STAND has been primarily supported by family foundations. But that funding landscape is shifting, and the urgency of our mission has never been greater. That’s why we’re opening our doors to a new kind of partnership.

We’re inviting a small group of strategic partners from the prosthetics industry to join us in shaping a more equitable future. As a partner, you will:

1. Play a direct role in reducing medical waste while expanding access to mobility.
2. Receive tailored impact reporting, branded storytelling assets, and meaningful employee engagement opportunities.
3. See every £1 you contribute matched by public funders, doubling your impact.
4. Help foster the emergence of sustainable, affordable prosthetics markets.

STAND isn’t just shipping components. We’re building bridges, between excess and need, between potential and reality. And with the right partners, we can scale this work, strengthen clinical capacity, and ultimately make ourselves redundant.

That, we believe, is the true measure of success.

Please also see a link to our recent posters:  Clinic Posters We’ve also attached a poster that highlights the incredible impact our community has achieved together over the past decade.

How You Can Help:

• Please continue to signpost amputees and their families to Steel Bones for practical support and community connection.
• Share our information with colleagues who may benefit from knowing about these resources.
• Let us know if there are gaps or opportunities where we can collaborate more closely with health professionals to improve patient outcomes.

Together, we can make a real difference in ensuring amputees and their families feel supported, connected, and empowered.

At the Limbless Association (LA), we believe no amputee need cope alone. Established since 1983, we offer both practical and emotional support for amputees throughout their pre and post-amputation journey.

We understand that navigating the complexities of limb loss can be completely overwhelming.

That’s why we believe that with an early intervention approach, we can provide useful, easy to access information and advice as well as supporting and connecting amputees, their families and carers.

500 miles is a very small Scottish charity which was registered in 2007.  It does take its name from the Proclaimers’ famous lyrics – “I would walk 500 miles” – because we try to get people in Malawi, and a little in Zambia, who have lost legs – or the use of their legs – up and walking.  In the here and now, we do this every day by helping them to get access to and to afford prostheses and orthoses through our One Smile fund (https://www.500miles.co.uk/ways-to-support-us/one-smile/) – but in order to leave a legacy for future generations, 500 miles has also established two centres in Malawi which manufacture and prescribe these devices and we sponsor the training of local staff to international standards to work in these centres. 

People often assume that the way we operate is to send out to Africa second hand prostheses and orthoses. We don’t because that is not sustainable. We think it is actually counter-productive.  In short, Malawi and Zambia can’t afford to sustain a countrywide service using first world systems and sending out random bits and pieces of what we use here, on an irregular and unpredictable basis is just corrupting a service which should and could be available for all on an ongoing and sustainable basis. So, from the start, 500 miles has used and supported a low-cost system of manufacture to produce bespoke prostheses and orthoses in-country using locally available material as much as possible and only importing what we can’t buy locally. 

We believe that the work of 500 miles is highly effective in terms of (1) impact per pound, (2) numbers of disabled people who will benefit and (3) the huge transformation in the quality of people’s lives.  In Africa, for a relatively small, one-off sum, prosthetic and orthotic support can have a life transforming effect for a disabled individual giving that person the chance to be mobile and so get an education, earn a living, support a family and generally participate in social activity. 

The British Polio Fellowship is a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting individuals who have had polio and those living with post-polio syndrome (PPS). We provide advice, emotional and financial assistance, and operate a support telephone line for anyone coping with the long-term effects of polio, including muscle weakness, fatigue, and pain.

Our mission also involves raising public awareness about the ongoing impact of polio and securing funds to enhance the quality of life for survivors. Through local support groups, educational resources, and national campaigns, we focus on improving the well-being of our members.

Although the UK has not seen a new case of polio since 1993, around 50,000 people (approximately 80% of survivors) have begun experiencing new symptoms decades after their original infection. These may include severe fatigue, muscle weakness, pain, and in some cases, difficulties with sleep, breathing, swallowing, scoliosis, or joint issues.

The major polio outbreaks of the 1930s to 1950s, along with the emergence of PPS, have shaped the Fellowship’s ongoing work. Today, we continue to advocate for polio survivors through awareness campaigns and have developed a clinical pathway to help healthcare professionals better diagnose, manage, and care for those affected.

Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, is an Armed Forces charity dedicated to assisting serving and ex-Service men and women who have suffered life-changing limbloss or the use of a limb, an eye or sight.

The organisation helps to rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support.  

Blesma’s 9 regional Support Officers (BSOs) provide personalised assistance to Members, addressing concerns related to allowances, entitlements, care & wellbeing, prosthetics, and general welfare.​

Blesma offers support to Members fitted with or awaiting prosthetics, with our Support Officers helping Members access the best services. ​We also have an in-house prosthetics expert who can assist directly with our Members prosthetic issues. ​

We collaborate with UK health services to ensure the latest mobility advancements benefit our Members and connect them with external support when needed.

Blesma campaigns for British veteran’s rights and looks after individuals and their families by offering a comprehensive grants and welfare system.  Blesma offers its Members a wide range of activities from the cerebral to the adventurous.​ Each event is specifically tailored to deliver lasting value to the Members’ lives through new skills, new confidence and new friends.​

Blesma supports injured veterans in their communities throughout the UK.

LimbPower Statement on the Future of Prosthetic Services

At LimbPower, we are committed to strengthening our relationship with the UK prosthetic service. We are actively developing resources, training, and programmes to equip prosthetists and orthotists with the tools they need to better support their patients in achieving active, healthy, and fulfilling lives. By working collaboratively with clinical teams, we aim to bridge the gap between clinical care and everyday participation, ensuring individuals receive not only high-quality prosthetic provision but also the ongoing support required to thrive.

Our focus is to safeguard the needs of the limb loss and limb difference community by advocating for services, co-creating solutions with professionals, and ensuring continuity of care. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect and enhance access to essential prosthetic and rehabilitation services.

If you have any concerns, please reach out to us—we are here to support you.

Finding Your Feet support families across Scotland affected by amputation or limb absence, through a range of sporting initiatives and social inclusion projects designed to positively affect both physical and mental wellbeing…

We run clubs around Glasgow, Paisley, Lanarkshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Ayrshire, Fife, Aberdeen, Inverness and Dumfries! These include Gym Sessions, Swimming, Gardening, Crafting, Yoga, Fitness and our most popular ‘Ampu-Teas’ session where our Troopers (FYF amputees) meet up for a coffee and chat.

We have Counsellors for anyone who needs additional support and an online support forum which offers 24/7 peer support for amputees around the UK and beyond. All of the activities that we offer are free of charge. 

If you’re an amputee living in Scotland, please click here and register to become an FYF Trooper, which will give you access to our calendar of clubs and loads more information in the private sections of our website.