Legs to Fly, a partnership project between Africa, ESPN and ID ETHNOS, where Marta Silva and Gabriel Medina lent their legs to inspire the amputee children’s prosthetic cover in Brazil and the world, wins a Bronze Lion in Health & Wellness and 2 (two) shortlists in Design.
Children with amputated limbs suffer from prejudice and exclusion. The social stigma, be it between family, friends or strangers, does not help their self-esteem. And if acceptance of others is already difficult, accepting oneself can be even more painful, with immeasurable negative impacts.
It is estimated that there are over 93 million children with moderate and severe disabilities living around the world (UNICEF). For all the diverse causes, ranging from diabetes, vascular diseases, trauma, infections, burns and tumors, rehabilitation involves a variety of treatments, aiming at the physical reconditioning for independence and the resumption of routine activities, the need for adequate prostheses and, above all, the acceptance of the condition.
To UNICEF, sport is one of the main transforming agents in the lives of these children, because it is a powerful social inclusion tool that allows socializing and overcoming the limits imposed.
With this scenario in mind, the Legs To Fly project was created. Inspired by the fertile imagination and aspirations of childhood together with the greatness and influence of the sports’ world elite athletes, the world’s first of children’s prosthetic cover was created. In this project, the covers were inspired by the leg of two great Brazilian athletes: Marta Silva, the greatest soccer player in the world, and Gabriel Medina, prodigy and biggest surfing name in Brazil.
Conceived by Africa and ESPN, the project invited athletes to scan their legs and helped create the new prosthetic covers and inspire children with lower limbs amputations throughout the country. The original molds, as well as the custom molds, are signed by FURF and manufactured and distributed by ID ETHNOS, the Brazilian startup responsible for popularizing the distribution and access to prosthetic covers in Brazil and in more than 20 countries.
The Legs To Fly are available for pre-order and donation at https://www.idethnos.com/legstofly. When purchasing a unit, part of the sales revenue will be reverted to donation of covers to AACD – Association of Assistance to Children with Disabilities. It’s also available the option for direct donation of the product and/or cash contribution, a feature designed to support and maintain the work with amputated children.