With the blessings of Venerable Tripitaka Kawida Dhamabhandagariki, Head Priest of Pitakat Thonbon Nikae Monastery, South Dagon, Yangon, His Excellency U. Myint Thaung, Minister of Planning and Finance, Government of Yangon Region and His Excellency Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar, inaugurated the Jaipur Foot Artificial Limb Fitment Camp in Yangon on 18 July 2018, according to a press release.
A number of dignitaries, including Honorable U Aung Min, former Minister in President’s Office, Honorable U Soe Thein, Member of Pyithu Hluttaw, former Minister in the President’s Office and former Chief of Naval Staff of Myanmar, Mr. D.R. Mehta, Founder and Chief Patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur, India, and Daw Than Than Nu, Chairman of U Nu Daw Mya Yi Foundation, participated at the inaugural ceremony at the Monastery.
During the inaugural ceremony, the dignitaries handed over custom-made Jaipur Foot to 4 amputees. They also visited the Jaipur Foot Camp and temporary workshop at the Monastery and met with the BMVSS technical team and persons with disability who had come to get the famous Jaipur Foot artificial limb.
The Jaipur Foot Artificial Limb Fitment Camp is being organized by the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Embassy of India in Yangon under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme. A number of economic, infrastructure, development, cultural, social and humanitarian projects are also being undertaken under the broader Indian development cooperation programme in Myanmar.
It is noteworthy that Myanmar is the first neighbouring country in which the Jaipur Foot Artificial Limb Fitment Camp is being organized under the Agreement signed between the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur, India in November 2017.
Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) is the technical and implementing partner of the camp. It has sent the required materials for the camp together with a seven-member technical team, which includes master technicians, some of whom have experience of over 30 years.
It is worth recalling that a similar Jaipur Foot Artificial Limb Fitment Camp was organized in Yangon in February-March 2017. That too was organized with the support of Ministry of External Affairs of India and the U Nu Daw Mya Yi Foundation.
BMVSS was established in 1975 as a not for profit organization to serve persons with disability and give them mobility and dignity. Since its inception, it has served more than 1.71 million persons with disability in India and around the world. It is the world’s largest organization for serving persons with disabilities. All its services are given free of cost.
Besides India, BMVSS has organized 67 International camps in 29 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, bringing mobility to over 26,000 persons with disability. The present camp in Myanmar is the 68th camp of BMVSS.
The Jaipur Foot is the most used artificial Limb in the world. It permits a below knee amputee to walk, run, climb a tree, drive and squat. Most of these functions can be performed by above knee amputees also.
The Jaipur Knee was jointly developed with the famous Stanford University of the USA. In 2009, the international news magazine TIME rated it as one the 50 best inventions in the world. The present camp in Yangon will use both the Jaipur Foot and the Jaipur Knee.
In all, under this humanitarian project of the India-Myanmar Development Cooperation Programme, about 500-600 persons with disability of Myanmar will be provided with artificial limbs in the next 5 weeks completely free of cost. This is ‘India in the Service of Humanity’.