Parents of disabled children in the DR Congo can 
    rarely afford the special equipment that would 
    enable their children to walk to school.

Given the extreme poverty of this region, education is especially critical to the future of children living with polio. Those who move with great difficulty and in some cases, are forced to crawl on all fours, have little choice but to remain at home marginalized by their society. 

STANDPROUD works with a local non-profit, staffed largely by beneficiaries of StandProud’s services, to finance primary education including fees, books, and mandatory uniforms for disabled Congolese children. It also helps them to attain maximum mobility and dignity through the crafting of simple orthopedic equipment using locally-available materials.

StandProud is the largest provider of free orthopedic equipment in the Congo and has been providing life-changing services to children here for ten years. To date, over 3500 disabled youth have received the equipment needed to enable mobility, and each year the organization finances the education of 200-300 disabled children.