Overview
Global Action Foundation initiated its
Amputee Empowerment Model
in January 2008, opening its Amputee Clinic
in Sefadu, Kono District, located six hours
east of Freetown approaching the
Guinean border.
Kono District—a region most ravaged by the war—is the diamond-mining district and contains nine communities of amputated clivilians, the nation's highest concentration. In Kono, GAF serves 158 amputated civilians and over 1000 dependents.
Global Action Foundation delivers free, high-quality health care to Sierra Leone’s amputated civilians at its primary care clinic. Through September 2008, the clinic has logged over 2000 patient visits.
GAF seeks a sustainable means to provide free health services. GAF incorporated a business model into its health services targeting the greater community. This revenue defrays some but not all running costs, so GAF expanded to its business model beyond health care to micro-agriculture. A palm kernel farm is a lucrative product with an existing market. Developing this farm would provide reliable employment for amputated civilians as well as enough revenue to cover running and expansion expenditures.
GAF’s innovative model is unique because this is Sierra Leone's only sustainable development initiative for amputated civilians, and because this allows GAF to open additional clinics nationwide in a sustainable fashion.
