The IREDE Foundation has broadened its disability support programme with the distribution of new prosthetic limbs to child amputees, part of its ongoing partnership with Action for Change and Empowerment. The initiative aims to help children with limb loss achieve greater independence.
The Lagos event, held recently, brought together beneficiaries, their families, and disability advocates, highlighting efforts to improve access to mobility aids in underserved communities. The programme reflects a growing global focus on inclusive healthcare solutions for children in low-income regions.
The founder of the IREDE Foundation, Crystal Chigbu, who led the handover, said the organisation has provided 684 prosthetic limbs in the past 12 years, supporting children from infancy until they turn 18. This year alone, the foundation has delivered 111 limbs across Nigeria.
“Our work focuses on helping children and young people with disabilities live a full life,” she told The PUNCH at the event. “We give artificial limbs to children who cannot afford them, and we stay with them, replacing the limbs, maintaining them, and supporting their parents through our care platform.”
She explained that prosthetic limbs typically last between nine and 18 months, depending on a child’s growth rate, and require periodic repairs due to wear and tear.
“Sometimes the limb breaks, or the covering tears, just like you and I experience wear in our shoes. We ensure every child gets the maintenance they need,” she said.
The founder established the foundation in 2012 after her daughter, Beulah, had her leg amputated at 27 months old. Chigbu founded the organisation to provide hope and assistance to other children and their families affected by limb loss in Nigeria.
The Foundation also conducts advocacy in schools to promote disability inclusion and ensure that children living with limb loss are not isolated by their peers.
The official described the handover ceremony as both an accountability exercise for donors and an opportunity for beneficiaries to express gratitude. “It’s like an impact report, showing that what we said we would do with donor funds, we have done,” she said.
Chigbu called on Nigerians and organisations to support inclusion initiatives and eliminate barriers faced by persons with disabilities.
“Inclusion is the way forward. We cannot afford to leave anyone behind,” she said. “Children lose their limbs for different reasons, such as accidents, disease or congenital issues, and they deserve every opportunity to live a fulfilled life.”
The ceremony marks the third consecutive year of the IREDE–ACE partnership, which both organisations say they intend to expand despite funding challenges.
The Deputy Country Manager and Project Coordinator of ACE, Chiamaka Ukpanwanne, said the collaboration with IREDE has delivered prosthetic limbs over three years, including this year’s four beneficiaries drawn from the South-West, South-East and Northern Nigeria.
“This project is special because, for the first time, we expanded beyond the South-West into the East and the North,” Ukpanwanne said.
“We’ve seen how these limbs help children return to school, become independent and live normal lives like every other child. The real reward for us is the smiles on their faces and that of their parents.”
Ukpanwanne, whose organisation is backed by diaspora donors in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, said ACE supports education, medical aid and disability-focused interventions across Nigeria. She added that continued donor support remains critical as economic conditions squeeze charitable spending.
“We’re grateful to everyone who assists, even by sharing a flyer. It helps us keep doing this work despite economic pressures,” she said.
For many parents, the prosthetic fittings represent a turning point. Chukwu Collins, father of one of the beneficiaries, recounted how his son lost his leg at one year and four months during a tricycle accident. He said the support from IREDE restored his child’s confidence and mobility.
“Before we found IREDE, we were devastated. I didn’t know how my child would live with one leg,” Collins narrated to The PUNCH. “But with the artificial limb, he can walk, go to school, play and do everything other children do. It brought back his confidence.”
Collins said the child, now five, is using his third prosthetic limb, with IREDE providing ongoing replacements and maintenance while also supporting his schooling through a scholarship from ACE sponsors.