We collaborated with Eva, an Occupational Therapy student, to bring social technology to Cape Verde.
At Ayúdame3D we use 3D printing technology to change lives, for this we collaborate with organizations, entities and people thanks to which we can reach more people, who do not know that they can be helped. Some time ago we received a message from Eva to be part of her volunteering in Cape Verde, and we did not hesitate to embark on that adventure to create a 3DLab there.
Eva Pérez is 21 years old, from Nigrán (Pontevedra) and is finishing her degree in Occupational Therapy. She believes that "it is the most beautiful profession and the closest to people that there can be, accompanying them to make their journey more bearable and helping them to live as independently and autonomously as possible". This summer, Eva traveled to Cape Verde to volunteer with Associação Colmeia, an NGO that promotes and establishes conditions for children and young people with disabilities to grow up more and more integrated in Cape Verdean society.
Months before this happened, as a result of her Final Degree Project, Eva was already in contact with the association to approach the figure of the occupational therapist, and to look for support products and materials to promote the autonomy of children with disabilities. However, the price in orthopedic shops was too high for the NGO.
After getting to know us through the media, he wrote to us to find out if it was possible to bring social technology to Santiago Island (Cape Verde). " It seemed to me that your values were very much in line with those that I also had in this project: to help improve people's daily lives, reduce inequality and improve their quality of life," he explains. "After the interest you showed in helping me from the very first moment, I didn't think about any other options".
From Ayúdame3D we were very happy to receive this message, not only because we could help many people, but also because it reminded us of the first trip to Kenya of our colleague Guillermo, when we delivered the first five trésdesis. So we did not hesitate to be part of this adventure and donate one of our printers to create a 3DLab in Cape Verde.
When the printer arrived in Cape Verde, we made several phone calls with Eva to explain the assembly and operation of the machine and to make sure that everything went well. "The day I managed to print a perfect Helpi, I even cried with excitement," says Eva, "This Helpi was more than a little doll, it was a hope for me and for all the people in the association, who saw the incredible potential of this technology. It was then that Eva started training the association's technicians. She also created instructions and a guide with all the necessary steps to print and to create the support products in case there were any doubts or problems in the process.
Over time and little by little they were applying 3D printing to the situations of each child, printing adaptations for eating and drinking, for personal hygiene, for writing... All designs were created and adjusted in a personalized way. Eva explained how this opened up a new world of possibilities for local youth, previously limited by costly international shipping, and how the small printed adaptations helped to overcome some of the barriers they face. In addition, she went on to develop side projects such as making splints and wheelchair adaptations, where she hopes to incorporate 3D printing in the future.
This assistance, which can be used in the future by Associação Colmeia, not only improves the health and well-being of the children, but also has a great impact on the quality of life of their families and broadens access to new opportunities.
From Ayúdame3D we believe that volunteering is an enriching experience open to everyone, you just have to want to help. Eva told us that "it is essential to have a lot of enthusiasm, desire to help, and a lot of creativity. You have to be open-minded and look for different ways than the ones we usually take, we can find a thousand different ways to do things", and the Ayúdame3D team could not agree more.
We want to encourage everyone who is going to volunteer, either in their environment or going out of their comfort zone, to show that helping is too easy not to do it. It is not necessary to solve everything, but to have initiative and commitment to want to help. From Ayúdame3D we are looking forward to collaborate with many more people and organizations to bring social technology to all corners of the world.