Dar firm donates artificial limbs

DAILY NEWS Reporter

INDIAN High Commissioner to Tanzania, Mr Sandeep Arya (at the podium), speaks at the brief ceremony where Kamal Group donated 60 artificial limbs worth 240m/- to 60 impaired Dar es Salaam residents. Seated from left are permanent secretaries, Dr Adelhelm Meru (Natural Resources and Tourism), Mr Uledi Musa (Industry and Trade), Dr Donan Mmbando (Health and Social Welfare), former Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) Chairman, Dr Reginald Mengi. (Photo by Our Correspondent)

OVER 60 people, who lost their limbs in various accidents, will now be able to walk again, thanks to multi-million shillings initiative by the Dar es Salaam-based Kamal Group.

During the brief ceremony graced by the former Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda, Kamal Group donated 60 artificial limbs worth over 240m/- to needy Dar es Salaam residents. Tanzania has total of 2.6 million people who have different disabilities of whom 525,019 have physical impairment.

“Everybody is a prospective disabled person and therefore we need to take care of them, respecting them as members of our society,” said Mr Pinda, urging the rich to emulate, Kamal Group in setting aside part of their gains to help the needy people in the society,” he said.

He asked the Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of Industry Trade and Tourism and Natural Resources who attended the ceremony to convey the message to the government to turn its attention to the disabled people.

Also, the company donated about 40 hearing aid equipment to the needy Dar es Salaam residents who are unable to hear due to different health complications. The Director of Kamal Group, Mr Sameer Gupta the donation was based on the philosophy of growing with communities that the company launched the initiative of helping people with disabilities since last year.

“We believe that our growth is anchored in the wellbeing of communities in which we operate,” he said. Kamal Group holds an International Standard Organisation (ISO 9001:2008) certification in steel production.

The Chairman and Managing Director of Kamal Group, Mr Gagan Gupta said, the company decided to bring experts from India so they can help in the task of manufacturing the artificial limbs right at the company’s Steel factory in Dar es Salaam.

“Our intention is to ensure that the disabled people are capable to go to their working places and can help in building Tanzania’s economy…. Since we have a world-class steel production line here, we only need raw materials and experts to do the work here and that is what we have done,” said Mr Gagan Gupta.

The experts in question includes group of doctors from an organisation that is known as ‘Bharat Vikas Parishad Viklang Kendra Paldi’, who were led by Mr Upendra Jani. Later on the project will eventually be extended to Arusha and Mwanza.

According to the National Chairman for Tanzania Association of the Disabled, known by its Kiswahili acronym as Chawata, Mr John Paul Mlabu, one needs up to 4m/- to purchase just a single artificial limb in various hospitals in the country, indicating that the value of 60 limbs goes to an astounding 240m/- “It is an expensive exercise and that is why we are thankful to Kamal for helping us this much,” said Mr Mlabu, calling upon other corporate bodies to emulate.

He said the country has over two million people who are handicapped and thus, need such products. Unfortunately, it is only less than 20 per cent who can actually get access to the products.

Apart from helping the disabled, Kamal Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility programs are directed towards education, orphanages and women empowerment.

The company is also running a campaign known as ‘Food for Children’ that seeks to promote education by providing meals to 1,250 children in two schools of Nzasa Primary in Ilala District and Kerege Primary in Bagamoyo District every day.