New York, NY -- (SBWire) -- 11/14/2014 --An ambitious and unusual goal which started in April 2014, Legs4Africa hopes to collect 1000 prosthetic legs from individual amputee donors and hospital units across the UK to be sent to Africa before Christmas where they will be remodified and will be given to amputees in less developed countries to give them a chance to walk again.

Many amputees in less developed countries like the ones in Africa do not get a second chance at walking again and the hopes of having a full life despite their loss due to the lack of resources needed for the manufacturing of prosthetic limbs. In April 2014 after the colourful Legs4Africa team successfully gathered 500 prosthetic legs and drove them 4,000 miles from Leicester to the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in Banjul, The Gambia in an old LDV minibus to help leg amputees in need of a prosthetic limb. At present not only have the volunteers have collected almost twice as many legs as the previous shipment, but the network of volunteers behind the crowdfunded initiative say that they have only just skimmed the surface, claiming that approximately 15,000 prosthetic legs are disposed of every year in the UK alone. Once a prosthetic leg has been used or tested in the UK it is considered a biohazard and cannot be used again within the EU. However there is nothing stopping these legs being put to use to improve the lives of amputees in Africa. “After this shipment The Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in The Gambia would have received over 1,500 prosthetic legs from ourselves so we would like to start expanding our efforts into other African countries where amputation is a problem. We’re hoping that if we can raise more than the £2,000 needed to get these legs shipped out, that we can visit a unit in Ghana and Mali which we would like to start working with” says Legs4Africa Founder, Tom Williams of Leicestershire.

A short film which shows a typical monthly collection of prosthetic legs has been created by the team in hopes of spreading awareness and extending an appeal for support from people to help Legs4Africa fund the shipment of the 1,000 prosthetic legs that they have collected to depart for Africa on the 14th of December 2014.

Legs4Africa video appeal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE_1uGiPKVQ

Donate £4 now by texting LEGS444 to 70070 or visit our Just Giving page at: http://www.justgiving.com/legs4africa

About Legs4Africa
Legs4Africa started 3 years ago during a casual holiday to The Gambia where Tom met an amputee who didn’t have the means to obtain a prosthetic leg. Tom revisited The Gambia 6 months later to surprise the amputee and his family with the gift of a prosthetic leg.

Media and press enquiries:
Tom Williams, Legs4Africa Founder, 0780353630 tom@
legs4africa.org
Phil Tunstall, Legs4Africa Coordinator, 07443583810

For more information please visit:
http://www.legs4africa.org
http://www.facebook.com/legs4africa
http://www.twitter.com/legs4africa