Lend a hand and build a prosthetic hand

March 26, 2012 - PRLog -- 300,000 reasons to lend a hand and build a prosthetic hand
Helping mine victims all over the world

Everyday New Zealanders are now able to build prosthetic hands and help victims of landmines, all over the world.

Organisational Psychologist, Matt Henricks of Henricks Consulting is bringing a new form of team building to New Zealand.

The ‘Helping Hands’ project is one of the first of its kind in New Zealand and is a very unique way for both companies  and Not For Profit organisations to not only work on their team dynamics, but also help landmine victims in less developed countries, who would not normally be able to afford prosthetic hands.

With over 100 million active landmines in 60 countries, there are around 2,000 landmine accidents per month (one every 20 minutes). There are currently 300,000 landmine related amputees globally and 20% of these are children, who have lost hands, meaning the need for prosthetics hands is growing.  

Rather than traditional team building activities where participants enjoy an activity on the day and then walk away with a binder, the Helping Hands project leaves behind a lasting legacy. It does this by allowing co-workers to build artificial hands together, which are then distributed to less fortunate people around the world.

“Everyday companies across New Zealand are spending enormous amounts of money on team building activities that add questionable value within their business. With this activity, participants leave a legacy and literally change the life of someone on the other side of the globe.

“Co-workers are normally blown away by the fact that within only a short period of focused activity they can, as a team, change the life of someone less fortunate, in Africa for example”, said Matt Henricks, Director, Henricks Consulting.

During the activity, small  groups of people assemble 30 pieces of plastic and metal to make a genuine hand which gives someone else the gift of being able to grasp or pick up an object.  

Once the activity is completed, all hands are shipped to a quality control unit in the US to ensure that they are indeed built properly. A range of checks are performed and once the prosthetic hand has passed inspection it is shipped to the area where it is most needed.
Give someone else, somewhere in the world, a hand.

Build them a hand, with your hands.

To interview Matt Henricks, Director Henricks Consulting, while he is in New Zealand, on this ‘Helping Hands Project’, to actually see all the parts that go into making a hand , for high resolution images or for further information please contact Jothy Hughes from N O W! Communications on +61 423 491 808 or jothy@nowcommunications.net

-ENDS-

# # #

N O W! Communications specialises in getting clients coverage N O W! and getting celebrity's endorsements N O W!

Jothy Hughes, of N O W! has worked on brands in all industries and with celebrities such as Shane Warne and Sugar Ray Leonard.