In May 2009 Janette had a conversation with a prosthetist about what happened to the unused artificial limbs in New Zealand. She discovered that currently all unused, second hand and obsolete stock of artificial limbs are thrown away. The humanitarian in her was released and she began researching who might be interested in these limbs should she be able to get them shipped out of New Zealand. It didn’t take long to find the Hope Rehabilitation Society, a not-for-profit organisation based in Pakistan, which indicated interest in the limbs.
In 2010 she arranged for 400kg of limbs and limb parts that could no longer be used in New Zealand to be sent to the Hope Rehabilitaton Society in Lahore in Pakistan, for a grand total of $50! Since their delivery in July 2010 over 50 people have been fitted with the limbs and limb parts, and the stock that was sent is still being used.
In May 2011 Janette presented the project to the New Zealand Orthotics and Prosthetics Association of New Zealand and made a request for donations of prosthetic and orthotic equipment. In December 2011 the second shipment, consisting of 15 boxes of limbs, limb parts and orthotics equipment, donated from a variety of organisations from around New Zealand left for Pakistan. They will arrive in Lahore to the Hope Rehabilitation Society in late January 2012.
Also in December the Take My Hands website was launched, with design and hosting being donated by Webwidgets Ltd. Also the seeds of the Take My Hands Trust were planted and it is hoped that the Trust will be registered with the New Zealand Charities Commission in early 2012.
This project is forms the basis for the establishment of the Take My Hands Trust www.takemyhands.org