Why?
Mobility
Without mobility, disabled children who do not have the luxury of transportation cannot walk the average 3 miles to school. As a result, 90% of disabled children in the developing world do not attend school.
Education
Without education, disabled adolescents are limited to below- poverty levels of income and dangerous work options – like street-begging or gathering plastic from toxic landfills
Livelihood
Sadly, marrying a disabled person in the developing world is often considered a financial burden and has a social stigma. A simple surgery, prosthetic device or rehabilitation can change that.
How?
Choosing a Program Location
Our program locations are based on the history and/or current events of the geography, needs assessments, poverty levels and proximity of the local community’s location to an appropriate medical provider. We also consider the potential for building strong relationships with local manufactures and the risk of overlap with the work of international organizations. Additionally, a program partner's willingness to work as a team is important, since scalable and effective programs require much more than just financial support.
Choosing a Program Partner
Our partners are selected based on how well they align with our mission to provide free orthopedic care to children with limb disabilities. We assess the quality of their services, technical and medical qualifications, bedside manner as well as their selection of materials. In order to ensure that funds are used responsibly, we also look at their operational capacity and fiduciary responsibility. Each year, every existing, new, and potential partner goes through this rigorous but integral vetting process.
Establishing Long-Term Impact
Our partners invest in their own program infrastructure, funding administrative and overhead expenses – like staff salaries and utilities – so that 100% of ALTSO’s funding can directly support patient services. Our partners also invest in forming strong relationships with community leaders and representatives, partnering with local government and ensuring that the most remote populations are being reached.