Physical Health Colombia Project #4025

Give Prostheses to 35 Maimed Colombian War Victims

by United for Colombia

Give Prostheses to 35 Maimed Colombian War Victims

Project Report | Jun 5, 2017
Disability only exists in mind

By Catalina Alvarez | Project Manager

On May 7^th, 2017, United for Colombia hosted the sixth version of the “Presta Tu Pierna 11K” (Lend you Leg 11K) that took place in the city of Medellín, located on the north east region of Colombia. For the first time, the citizens of the region were able to participate in an event that encourages the inclusion and visualization of antipersonnel mines survivors, both military and civilians, in Colombia.

1.800 people signed on to show their support of the victims, and were able to meet and interact with over 300 of them who came from all parts of the country to run the race. The victims all wore green T-shirts and the other participants wore a white T-shirts.

Among the runners, the presence of professional athletes, Paralympic athletes and high performance runners was noticeable, but the race also welcomed amateurs’ runners from all ages.

The race was possible thanks to the support of different national enterprises from both public and private sector, and various international organizations also came to contribute with this noble cause.

United for Colombia was the organization in charged of the event, and with the help of other non-profit organizations, the race that began as a dream almost a year ago, became a reality.

Thanks to the support of Global Giving donors, our beneficiaries have received medical rehabilitation treatments, specially prosthesis. They came from all over the country and showed us that disability only exists in mind.

United for Colombia Foundation

Attachments:

Lend your leg (PDF)

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Jan 20, 2017
2016, a year full of happiness!

By Catalina Alvarez | Project Manager

Edwin is from Boyacá, Colombia. When he was 13 years old he found a “metallic tube” on his way home from school. To him it looked like a toy so he picked it up and started fidgeting with it when suddenly the tube exploded. Edwin lost his left arm and was wounded in his chest and stomach.

In 2007, United for Colombia foundation provided him with a state-of-the-art hand prosthesis along with continuous physical and psychological therapy. Since then, United for Colombia foundation has supported Edwin covering maintenance and adjustment costs of his artificial upper limb to preserve the functionality of his prosthesis.

This prosthesis allows him to do what he loves the most: bicycling. His aspiration of being a professional cyclist came to reality when he joined the Colombian Cycling Paralympic Team. Since then, he has participated in international championships in countries like Mexico, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada.

Last March, Edwin was part of the Colombian team on the Rio Paralympic Games. He won a bronze medal in the men´s individual time trial, category C5. It was a huge reward for all these years of training!

Harlen was a 24 year old soldier in the Colombian Army. On May of 2008 during a military operation against guerrillas in the state of Meta, Colombia, Harlen stepped on a landmine that caused the amputation of his legs.

At the beginning he felt as the “The Ugly Duckling”, he thought his life had ended and he wouldn´t be able to find a wife and have a family. All of this changed when he met United for Colombia and got a pair of state-of-the-art prosthesis. His tenacity gave him the ability to walk on the first day and now, even to dance (please click on the link to watch him dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrW-1A0o7Zc). Nowadays, he works as an Inventory Assistant at the distribution center of a multinational company. He is married and has a 7 year old daughter, Paulette.

On December 2015, Harlen was selected from a group of 2000 Colombian runners that wished to run the denominated as the most beautiful running race in the world, the Two Oceans Race in Cape Town, South Africa. In March, he travelled with the other 6 members of the Colombian Team and ran for the first time, 21K in 1 hr 33 minutes. He made Colombians very proud!

Links:

Attachments:

2006, a year full of happiness (PDF)

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Oct 11, 2016
A New Beginning for Jose!

By Catalina Alvarez | Project Manager

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