By CASEY NEILL
DANDENONG Rotarians and businesses are giving landmine victims a helping hand.
They assembled 10 prosthetic hands at Le Pine Funerals in Dandenong on Wednesday 16 December.
Rotary Club of Dandenong’s Don Cantwell said the event was supporting Building Hands for Landmine Victims, a Rotary Australia World community service project.
He said about 384,000 people had lost one or both hands to landmines, and most were children.
“There are 120 million landmines still set in the world, mostly in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia,” Mr Cantwell said.
“They are being cleared at the rate of only 100,000 per year. At this rate it will take 1200 years to clear all the mines!”
So the Rotary Club of Dandenong approached local businesses for help to support landmine victims.
“The hands are supplied in kits of 10 and it takes two people two hours to assemble each hand,” Mr Cantwell said.
“We’re asking local businesses to sponsor a hand and have a representative come and help us assemble it.
“When they have enough hands assembled they will send a team overseas to fit the hands.
“Each hand will have the name of the person who assembled it and the sponsor.”
Each kit costs $4000, or $400 per hand.
Sponsors included Avondale Motors, RMBL, Kevin Shinners, John Kelly Plumbing, Meyer Timber, Peter Czech Precision Smiles, Lonsdale St. Auto Electrics, Waters Dace, Barry Farmer Visium Networks, Harding House Removals, Maverick Rose, Le Pine Funerals, Phil Allan, Anthony Brown Dental Clinic, Ken Dowman Real Estate and Norden Body Works.
Phone Mr Cantwell on 0400 306 311 to support the project or for information about joining Rotary.
