3DP4ME is a US-based non-profit organization focused on providing humanitarian solutions in the Middle East. Our mission is to empower patients by enabling them to walk, move, and hear with the help of 3D printed prostheses and hearing aids. Our vision is to establish a manufacturing facility that offers holistic care and scalable solutions for a variety of assistive devices to those in need.
Artificial Limbs & Polio Center (ALPC) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1974. It is a center with a great reputation in Gaza, providing prosthetic and orthotic services to all. ALPC is dedicated to improving the lives and living standards of its patients.
Together, 3DP4ME and ALPC are exploring a collaborative effort to develop a network in Gaza to provide additional access to care for our patient amputees. Our long-term aim is to scale operations to reach more amputees through trusted partnerships in Gaza.
Problem Statement and Need
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to a significant increase in the number of amputees, creating an urgent need for comprehensive medical and psychological support. According to UNRWA, as of December 2024 Gaza has “the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world”. Not only is there a high incidence of amputations among children, the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure has limited the access to effective physical and mental health treatment. Experience from similar conflict situations, such as Ukraine, highlights the need to employ new holistic approaches utilizing more scalable 3D printing solutions along with a continuum of care from assessment through ongoing support in order to deliver lasting results.
Statistics:
The number of amputees in need of care: at least 3,000 -5,000 patients
The number of trained Prosthetists (CPOs) in Gaza: 9
The number of clinics in operation: 3 clinics ALPC , HI and Hamad Hospital.
Approach
3D printing is a proven and revolutionary tool for creating customized, patient-specific medical devices. This technology has already demonstrated its effectiveness and has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life for individuals by providing tailored, efficient, and affordable healthcare solutions. Experts in the West are currently leveraging 3D technology to provide custom prosthetics. Our goal is to complete the technology transfer and provide our local staff in Jordan with the tools and training they need to succeed. In the future, we aim to similarly empower our partners in Gaza to fully unlock the potential of this technology.
Overall Objective
Building on the success of its “Step by Step” pilot program in Jordan, which provides children with custom below-the-knee prostheses using 3D printing technology, 3dp4me seeks to inspire and attract more funding to pilot and scale its operations in Gaza.
ALPC acts as the local representative of resource allocation and implementation, as well as all staffing required for rehabilitation. Our holistic care model includes prosthetic services as well as physiotherapy, psychosocial support, and walking aids (if needed) for each patient to help them take their next steps towards success, including walking, playing, and thriving in life.
