Students at Shenton College in Perth, Australia, have been assembling prosthetic hands for children in need, through a program called ‘Helping Hands’. With this initiative, they’ve helped improve the lives of children across India, Africa, Mexico, and Nepal. To date, the students have created over 100 prosthetic hands, enabling young children to write, hold items, and play—activities many take for granted.
Students order and use toolkits with detailed instructions to assemble the prosthetic hands. After completing the assembly, they test the hand for durability. Year 12 student Patrick Taplin reports, “We don’t all have the same opportunities, or privileges, in this world. I like to see where we can contribute to the wellbeing of others.”
Each prosthetic hand is sent with a heartfelt message from the students, introducing themselves and wishing the recipients well. This personal touch makes the gift even more meaningful.
Mr. Gary Green, Head of Middle School, states “I love how this project shows the power of principled collaborative action. Collectively, through time and effort, we can achieve so much to assist others.”
Helping Hands as a foundation sends out between 200 and 500 prosthetic hands each month, but currently, over 2,000 children around the world are waiting for a prosthetic hand. Shenton College leaders realize this need and are doing what they can.
For more information, or if you would like to get your school involved, visit the Helping Hands website here.
