ALTSO provides free prosthetic limbs, corrective surgery, orthotic devices and rehabilitative care to children who have lost limbs in traumatic accidents or suffer from congenital limb disabilities.
To maximize our reach and serve the neediest populations, we implement programs in local hospitals and clinics (“Program Partners” or “Implementing Partners”) that have solid track records in providing pediatric orthopedic care.
We work in countries where there is a staggering need for orthopedic treatment due to landmines, violence, and most simply – poverty.
Our Program Partners match our support by funding administrative and overhead expenses – like staff salaries and utilities – allowing 100% of our program funds to be used on patient treatments – which means more children helped per every donor dollar expended.
After working with our partners to determine how ALTSO’s funding can treat the highest number of patients in a program year (January 1 – December 31), budgets for each program are created. Funding is then disbursed in 3 equal installments through the term of the partnership upon the partner’s compliance with reporting requirements. Our partners agree to use this money only for treatment costs, and never for administrative expenses; this means 100% of ALTSO’s program allocation is used to manufacture prosthetic and orthotic devices, purchase surgical materials, provide treatment and rehabilitation to patients, and to provide training to local healthcare providers to create sustainable programs for years to come.
Our Program Partners submit patient intake forms (“PIF’s”) on a monthly basis for every child who is evaluated and treated under our program. PIF’s include patient history, diagnosis, treatment provided, cost of treatment and devices, follow-up requirements and before-and-after treatment photos in additional to other relevant data. Program results and patient data are then recorded into ALTSO’s patient database for analysis. Quarterly progress and financial reports are cross-checked with the patient database so that trends can be analyzed to better understand the need in ALTSO’s program countries.
Such thorough and transparent program partnerships help increase our programs’ effectiveness and ultimately maximize the number of children treated.
WHAT WE PROVIDE
TREATMENT
Children are referred to ALTSO’s programs by local doctors, educators, community leaders, family and friends. Their condition is evaluated and appropriate treatment is delivered. 100% of treatment costs are provided by ALTSO.
THERAPY
To ensure that our treatment programs are successful, ALTSO supports post-operative physical therapy and rehabilitative activities. Our goal is to provide high-quality continuous care until the age of 18 for patients treated under ALTSO’s program.
TRAINING
We teach medical professionals in our program countries innovative orthopedic surgical techniques, prosthetic design and rehabilitation-practices to help bridge the gap in medical care between the developed and developing worlds.
WHY WE WORK THROUGH LOCAL PARTNERS
Our implementing partners on the ground have spent years in the field of pediatric orthopedic care, treating children suffering from congenital or traumatic limb disabilities. To maximize our reach and serve the neediest populations, ALTSO’s partners match our support by funding administrative and overhead expenses – like staff salaries and utilities – allowing 100% of our program funds to be used on patient treatments – which means more children helped.
We work in areas where there is a staggering need for orthopedic care due to landmines, violence, and most simply – poverty. We only work with partners that have a solid track record of providing high-quality pediatric orthopedic treatment and the capacity to continue growing their treatment program – and help more children – with ALTSO’s support.
Our partners staff local prosthetic technicians, surgeons, and nurses, all of whom understand the area, patient population, languages spoken, and what locally-available materials are best suited for the terrain, climate and comfort of the patient. Their extensive network allows us to identify some of the neediest children, many of whom live in remote areas and would otherwise go unnoticed – and suffer needlessly.
Ridho-Age 8, Indonesia