An HRDC Ambassador

When Mamata was three years old she contracted poliomyelitis. The virus infected her knees and hip, severely restricting her mobility, and forcing her to ‘walk’ on her knees. Her parents took her to traditional healers to no affect, and a hospital in India where the treatment proved too expensive for her family to afford.



When Mamata was 14-years-old both her parents died while working in India and she was placed in a home for disabled children where, fortunately, the staff knew about HRDC and its work. In December 2011, Mamata arrived at HRDC’s center in Banepa and the medical team made their assessments and formulated an intervention and rehabilitation plan.



After a month of skeletal traction, plaster casts were applied to help support her legs and the physiotherapy team showed her how to walk using a frame. Six weeks after being discharged, she returned to have the casts removed and for additional PT training. Now 16-years-old Mamata has full mobility and is functionally independent.
HRDC also helped Mamata with another new start in life; sewing classes and a sewing machine. She now earns money as a tailor and hopes to be able to save enough money to complete her education (she dropped out while in grade nine) and fulfil her dream to become a nurse. She has also become an ambassador for HRDC, encouraging other, poor, disabled children to seek help from HRDC field teams.