A rise in chronic illnesses and an ageing population stimulate an increasing number of people with disabilities. This triggered Nengah Latra, who founded PUSPADI Bali, to assist those unfortunate people with physical disabilities in Bali. The foundation runs Bali’s wheelchair programme and manufactures artificial legs in their workshop at the Annika Linden Centre.
With a growing demand for quality mobility aids in Bali, PUSPADI Bali is the only NGO on the island which has been providing appropriately fitted prosthetics, orthotics and wheelchairs to people with disabilities in these areas. They also follow up the actions by giving rehabilitation and skills training programmes. Once a person with physical disabilities is found, their rehabilitation unit will immediately swing into action by getting the medical treatment needed for this person and help them mobile with either a leg or a wheelchair.
A mobility aid gives more than a movement for this unfortunate people, so they can work, study and fully participate in their communities. PUSPADI Bali also helps a child to get into school, and for adult, they will connect them with a recruitment agency for persons with disabilities. Since established in 1999, PUSPADI Bali has helped 5,206 people with disabilities access a mobility aid, rehabilitation and skills training, so these people can become the best version of themselves. From 2013 until now, PUSPADI Bali has managed to conduct 13,830 home visits and distribute 1,831 wheelchairs. A further 1,796 quality prosthetics, orthotics and braces are made and given to those who need.
In their workshop at the Annika Linden Centre, PUSPADI team is continually adapting and exploring new technologies. Over the past year, it has been making modular component prosthetic legs, a partnership with the U.S based non-profit organisation, A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO).
Not only limited in giving support in their Denpasar’s home base, PUSPADI Outreach Programme team will not hesitate to travel hundreds of kilometres away just to reach out those who are physically unable to move from their rooms by bringing mobility aids directly to them. Earlier this year, the team took a mobile workshop to Lombok to assess the needs of people with disabilities, making prosthetics and orthotics on site, as well as distributing wheelchairs. They teamed up with local organisations to identify who needs support.
