It meant death not to amputate, but to see the mourning of a teenager for his hand was hard. Here, the loss of Mansur’s hand means a loss not only of his dreams of owning a motorbike and being the best goal keeper, but of productivity and being an integral part of society. To lose his right hand is even harder as it is the dominant one, and culturally the clean hand that is used for social interaction. It is used to communicate, touch, exchange greetings or money, to write and to eat. People without limbs often become beggars, socially excluded because of their loss.

After Mansur’s accident excavating gravel from the river bed, SEEDs staff provided constant care cleaning his wound and advising him to have a total amputation as the hand was gangrenous, and infection could quickly spread. But it took 6 weeks for Mansur to accept that his hand was lost. SEEDS also worked with Mansur after his amputation through physical therapy and obtaining a cosmetic prosthesis.

Our work is hard as people often do not trust doctors and the medical system. There are other obstacles to healthcare including transportation and costs. The government subsidizes treatment for those who are poor, but it is a tedious process to apply, and difficult for those with low literacy and lack of knowledge about how to access this assistance. SEEDS staff work not only in prevention and health teaching but we also empower people to be able to access medical care they are entitled to, walking alongside them and continuing care where government services end.

I now see Mansur smiling as he walks around the village with his prosthesis, which I have not seen for a very long time, and we hope that gradually he will have emotional healing too after his loss. It is exciting to see progress as we journey with people in the village.