Scout Troops to Assemble 3D Printed Prosthetic Hands for Syrian War-Wounded Children

In the past, we have covered numerous stories about a group of hard working volunteers, called e-NABLE. These volunteers spend countless hours designing and 3D printing prosthetic hands and arms for those in need. Now e-NABLE is looking for even more volunteers to help in what will certainly turn out to be a great story.

We are all familiar with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Sea Scouts, etc. These are groups of children and young adults who take part in activities that build community, teach them how to work as teams, and show them that doing good can make you feel good yourself.

The Raptor Hand

Now, with the help of some e-NABLE members, including world-renowned trauma surgeon Dr. Albert Chi, a woman named Maria Esquela is helping organize something really incredible. As anyone who follows international news knows, the Middle East is in a lot of turmoil with war tearing nations apart. Now thanks to e-NABLE, some other tremendous volunteers, and 3D printing technology, the life for some of these people in war-torn nations will get at least a little better.

“A series of inter-denominational hand-assembly Scouting events in Baltimore [are] going to dispatch scores of hands to the Middle East, where an Israeli trauma surgeon will use them to treat Syrian war-wounded children,” the founder of e-NABLE, Jon Schull, tells 3DPrint.com.

Esquela has been organizing Scout troops in the Baltimore area to teach them how to assemble 3D printed prosthetic hands made by members of e-NABLE. The hands that are created are then going to be shipped to the a hospital near the Syrian border. There they will be given to Syrian refugees who have been deformed by war. There are many refugees who have lost hands, arms, and other limbs, and have no means of getting prostheses. The Hands Across Borders project is now here to help.

Dr. Chi will be helping to train doctors and aid workers at the Israeli medical center, teaching them how to 3D print, size, and assemble prosthetic hands. However, he would also like to send some hands back so that they have an inventory to begin working with.

Thanks to e-NABLE, Chi, an Israeli medical center, and Esquela, Scout troops have been and will continue assembling 3D printed e-NABLE hands. The next assembly date will be December 13th, when observers from the medical center will be present, watching as Scout troops will be taking part in quite the heartwarming project.

e-NABLE is currently looking for volunteers to 3D print the pieces needed for their Raptor Hand, and then send those unassembled hands to them at:

Patronage Church
ATTN: Hands Across Borders Project
1260 Stevens Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21227

The unassembled hands will open up two new seats each for a willing and able Scout troop to assemble, and then provide to the Israeli medical center which will be giving them to the Syrian refugees in need. More details on how you can help out can be found here.

Currently they are looking for both right and left hands, printed in different scaled sizes. To select a size and hand that you would like to 3D print, you can do so via e-NABLE’s sizing poll, and the 3D printable files and instructions on printing the Raptor Hand can be found here.

This is yet another great initiative by members of e-NABLE. 3D printed prostheses certainly hold a tremendous future, especially for children who have difficult times getting traditional prostheses due to the fact that they are constantly outgrowing them. Now with e-NABLE also focusing on victims of war injuries in war-torn nations like Syria, more aid is coming to those previously unable to even imagine purchasing, being fitted with, and ultimately given a new prosthetic hand.

e-NABLE is also looking for donations to help pay for the materials needed in the assembling of these hands. If you are interested in attending (or sponsoring) the event, you can register via Eventbrite.

Are you 3D printing a Raptor Hand for these unfortunate individuals in Syria? Discuss in the 3D Printed Hands for Syrian Refugees forum thread on 3DPB.com.