Tanzanian receives custom prosthetic limbs from Minneapolis company

It was a more than 3,000-mile journey to get to Minneapolis. On her return trip home, she had two new prostheses and a new outlook on life.

Now 19 years old, Farida Msanga of Tanzania was only 1 year old when pigs attacked her, biting off parts of both her arms. All she knows is life with limitations, but thanks to Limb Lab in Minneapolis, Msanga is ready to become more independent.

“They help, they care, they listen, they love,” Msanga said about the Limb Lab staff.

Limb Lab is a company that provides custom prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces.

For a few weeks, Msanga spent time at the Minneapolis location getting fitted with two custom prosthetic arms and learning how to use them. The new tools will help her with tasks as small as brushing her teeth to helping carry 10 liters of water in a bucket, something she specifically told the Limb Lab staff she’d like to be able to do.

“The tiny little goals is what makes the difference in our approach,” said Brandon Sampson, co-founder of Limb Lab. “There’s a mental shift from loss to hope, and that’s what we get to see every day.”

Thanks to the Limb Lab Foundation, KidzCare Tanzania, NovaCare, Aqualia International Foundation, and Fillauer, the prostheses and work to learn how to use them came at no cost to Msanga.

Part of this process also includes training someone in Tanzania to make repairs and continue to help Msanga with her new tools.

“I want to be more independent, I want to type, I want to carry my own food at school, and I want to do biology experiments,” Msanga added about what she’s looking forward to when she returns home.