Donation protected
Our Mission
We are Human Engineers, Inc., a group of engineering and medical students that travels annually to the Philippines to provide free prosthetic and orthotic services to under-resourced communities with a significant orthopedically-disabled population. We are committed to improving the lives of our patients, making sure that they leave with an arm or a leg that will restore their livelihood and way of life.
The Need
The need we will highlight consists of three parts:
1. High Disability Rate
We primarily work in Occidental Mindoro, an island province where the orthopedic disability rate is more than three times the national average. As an agrarian economy, many jobs depend on physical labor. Losing a limb can cost individuals their jobs, leading to financial hardship and loss of productivity.
2. Lack of Prostheses Expertise
Despite the need for prosthetic intervention and rehabilitation, the number of prosthetic and orthopedic specialists available is low. In Region IV-B, where Occidental Mindoro is located, there is only one orthopedic surgeon per 150,000 individuals.
3. High Cost of Ownership
The price of a prosthetic is typically beyond the purchasing power of many individuals living in Occidental Mindoro. The high cost of owning and maintaining a prostheses contributes to its lack of use in the region. A basic prosthetic limb can start at $3000 USD and go up to as much as $50,000 USD. In comparison, the average annual income per household in the region is PHP 166,100 ($3500 USD).
Our Solution
Our goal is to provide communities like Occidental Mindoro with prosthetic and orthotic service that they need for free.
We primarily provide the following three services:
1. Prosthetic Support:
We build prosthetic arms and legs according to the patient's needs and work with the patient one-on-one until the patient is satisfied with the fit. We also cast and build custom made orthotic parts for our patients with more unique anatomy
2. Orthotic Support:
We also provide orthotic services such as bracing for polio patients and orthortic shoes for diabetics
3. Local Technician Training and Education:
We educate local community members about prosthetic maintenance and repair so that they can troubleshoot and fix componentry in between missions
By eliminating the cost barrier to care and by building expertise in the local community, we can make a difference in our patient’s lives.
How You Can Help
We are currently accepting donations towards our cause and our annual mission trips. The funds will go towards purchasing prosthetic building supplies, team uniforms, and travel expenses. Please see the funding section below for more details.
Use of Funds
The funds will also go towards the following items:
- Prosthetic fabrication supplies, such as carbon fiber casting material and tools
- Education material, such as training pamphlets and practice tools, for training local community members how to maintain and repair a prosthesis
- Travel support for students with demonstrated need
Thank you for all of your support. With your help, we can help even more people in more places!
For more information, please visit our website at http://humanengineersinc.org
We are Human Engineers, Inc., a group of engineering and medical students that travels annually to the Philippines to provide free prosthetic and orthotic services to under-resourced communities with a significant orthopedically-disabled population. We are committed to improving the lives of our patients, making sure that they leave with an arm or a leg that will restore their livelihood and way of life.
The Need
The need we will highlight consists of three parts:
1. High Disability Rate
We primarily work in Occidental Mindoro, an island province where the orthopedic disability rate is more than three times the national average. As an agrarian economy, many jobs depend on physical labor. Losing a limb can cost individuals their jobs, leading to financial hardship and loss of productivity.
2. Lack of Prostheses Expertise
Despite the need for prosthetic intervention and rehabilitation, the number of prosthetic and orthopedic specialists available is low. In Region IV-B, where Occidental Mindoro is located, there is only one orthopedic surgeon per 150,000 individuals.
3. High Cost of Ownership
The price of a prosthetic is typically beyond the purchasing power of many individuals living in Occidental Mindoro. The high cost of owning and maintaining a prostheses contributes to its lack of use in the region. A basic prosthetic limb can start at $3000 USD and go up to as much as $50,000 USD. In comparison, the average annual income per household in the region is PHP 166,100 ($3500 USD).
Our Solution
Our goal is to provide communities like Occidental Mindoro with prosthetic and orthotic service that they need for free.
We primarily provide the following three services:
1. Prosthetic Support:
We build prosthetic arms and legs according to the patient's needs and work with the patient one-on-one until the patient is satisfied with the fit. We also cast and build custom made orthotic parts for our patients with more unique anatomy
2. Orthotic Support:
We also provide orthotic services such as bracing for polio patients and orthortic shoes for diabetics
3. Local Technician Training and Education:
We educate local community members about prosthetic maintenance and repair so that they can troubleshoot and fix componentry in between missions
By eliminating the cost barrier to care and by building expertise in the local community, we can make a difference in our patient’s lives.
How You Can Help
We are currently accepting donations towards our cause and our annual mission trips. The funds will go towards purchasing prosthetic building supplies, team uniforms, and travel expenses. Please see the funding section below for more details.
Use of Funds
The funds will also go towards the following items:
- Prosthetic fabrication supplies, such as carbon fiber casting material and tools
- Education material, such as training pamphlets and practice tools, for training local community members how to maintain and repair a prosthesis
- Travel support for students with demonstrated need
Thank you for all of your support. With your help, we can help even more people in more places!
For more information, please visit our website at http://humanengineersinc.org
Organizer and beneficiary
Human Engineers
Organizer
Stanford, CA
Michael Norell
Beneficiary