Two humanitarian workers who spent the last ten days in Koshi Province fitting prosthetic hands for amputees say Nepal surprised them, not just with its landscapes, but with its people, their trust and the stories they carried. The camp, run by international non-profit The Hand Project in collaboration with the Karuna Foundation Nepal, concluded this week after providing 199 prosthetic hands to upper-limb amputees from across the region.
Project director Chris Gulley, who travelled from New Zealand, said the goal of the initiative is simple: to restore dignity and opportunity to people who have gone years, sometimes decades, without the ability to carry out basic tasks. "We came here to give more dignity and opportunity to upper-limb amputees in Nepal," he said. "And we partnered with Karuna Foundation because we knew we could trust them. The work here was incredibly organised."
With him was Kamanzi Blessle from Uganda, an amputee himself, who received his own prosthetic hand from The Hand Project years ago and is now part of the team that helps others regain function in their daily lives. It was Blessle's first time in Nepal, and from the first day, he noticed how different the country felt from what he had imagined. "I expected chaos," he admitted. "But Nepal is peaceful, beautiful, and the people are so genuine and kind. We really enjoyed being here."
The ten-day camp ran from November 2 to 12, and the two arrived back in Kathmandu on Tuesday after completing their work in the eastern region. For Gulley, who had last visited Nepal in 2022, the country stands out for reasons beyond geography. Much of it, he explained, has to do with why people lose their limbs in the first place. "Here, about 60 to 70 percent of amputations are because of industrial accidents," he said. "In India it's electrocution. In many African countries, it's traffic accidents, and sadly, violence also plays a role. In Nepal, cases linked to violence are practically zero."
Another contrast is trust. Gulley said that in several African countries, people are hesitant to come for prosthetic fittings because they fear being scammed. "They think nothing is really free," he said. "Some people won't even travel two hours to a camp because they think they'll get nothing when they arrive." Blessle confirmed this with his own experience. "Many people in Africa use disability to collect money from others, and then disappear. So people lose trust."
He recalled how someone once photographed him and promised support, only to never return. "That's why I call him Papa," he said, gesturing to Gulley. "He is different from other people. This project changed my life." Gulley laughed, saying, "I tell myself it's more about respect than age."
The prosthetics used in the camp are intentionally designed to be lightweight and durable, Gulley said, because most amputees cannot afford frequent travel for maintenance. "We focus 80 percent on function, 20 percent on form," he explained. "Many prosthetics look beautiful but are too heavy. People end up with neck and back pain." He recalled meeting a woman who stopped using her previous prosthetic after just one day because of its weight.
Karuna Foundation will follow up with recipients after eight weeks to check whether they are using the devices, understand any issues and offer support. Gulley said it is normal for people to report pain early on because many have not used the relevant muscles for years.
This year's camp also introduced a new device called the KAM tool, named after Kamanzi himself. This new multipurpose tool invented by Blessle, was designed to help amputees perform tasks such as cutting grass, shovelling, moving wheelbarrows, making bricks and cutting vegetables. Blessle first made it from metal; Gulley later redesigned it in aluminium to make it lighter. Nepal is the first country where the tool has been tested. Although the team brought around 100 units, more than 50 people remain on the waiting list. "It was a huge success," Gulley said. "But shipping them by air is expensive, so we couldn't bring as many as we wanted."
The team now plans to produce prosthetic hands in lighter colour tones better suited to Nepali skin tones; most devices brought this time were in African shades.
As they prepared to leave Nepal, both Gulley and Blessle said the experience reaffirmed why they do this work. "The organisation here was exceptional," Gulley said. "People trusted us, and that made all the difference." Blessle added with a smile, "Nepal has been a blessing. We hope to come back."