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RNZ News

NZ Islamic charity, humanitarian group to provide 3D-printed limbs for Gaza children

Four-year-old Ghazal's foot was amputated after her house in Gaza City was besieged by military tanks in October, 2023. Photo: Supplied / UNICEF An Islamic charity group says there is an urgent need to provide prosthetic limbs for children injured in Gaza. The Federated Islamic Association of New Zealand (FIANZ) and UNICEF Aotearoa have imminent plans to launch a production facility in Jordan to 3D-print limbs for Gaza amputees. FIANZ spokesperson Abdur Razzaq said thousands of children have been maimed in the conflict. "They're orphans, (some of) these children who have seen their mothers and fathers killed, they've lost all their family and everything - they've also lost their arms. "Just to give them a prosthetic, a smile on their face, that life is meaning something - we can't delay it." He said there was a desperate need for prosthetic limbs, particularly for children, and the partnership with UNICEF was a continuation of the association's humanitarian aid work in the region. Cellphone images of the children and digital measurements could be used to 3D-print bespoke limbs, he said, with the aim of updating the limbs to fit as the child grew. Razzaq said the more than $250,000 had been raised for the project should provide limbs for thousands of children and hoped to see it launch within weeks. He said the goal was to make it sustainable, not a "one-off, ad-hoc" solution. "It's not going to be easy, it is going to be expensive, but it is much, much needed." UNICEF Aotearoa said 3D prosthetics cost about a sixth of the price of traditional prosthetics and it was collaborating with manufacturers and hospital and physiotherapist teams in the region. "Partnerships with existing hospitals and facilities will help UNICEF ensure children in Gaza are still reached despite incredibly difficult conditions at the border and the breaking of the previous ceasefire," it said in a statement. UNICEF Aotearoa chief executive Michelle Sharp said she hoped the ground-breaking project would become a blueprint for the future. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.