Image: A service user practices going up and down stairs at the Hpa-An Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Center in Hpa-An, Myanmar. (Aye Pyae Sone/CPI)
In the quiet outskirts of Hpa-An, the capital of Kayin State in southeastern Myanmar, a rehabilitation facility has become a sanctuary of resilience and transformation for thousands. Since 2003, the Hpa-An Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Center (HORC) has provided life-changing services to persons with disabilities, many of whom have lost limbs due to conflict, accidents, or disease.
The center offers more than prostheses. It provides care, dignity, and a new beginning. With support from Community Partners International (CPI) since late 2024, the center has enhanced its capacity to offer advanced below-the-knee modular prostheses and other assistive devices. Together, they are helping individuals stand tall – physically and emotionally.
“We’ve provided assistive device support to over 9,000 people,” explains Kyawt Thida Aung, the center’s manager. “And we’ve fitted more than 10,000 with prostheses or orthoses.”
Run by the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the center serves persons with disabilities from across Kayin, Mon, Kayah States, and parts of Bago and Tanintharyi regions. Services are free, including transport, accommodation, meals, and a full suite of physical and psychosocial care.
Amputation is often a sudden, traumatic experience, especially when caused by conflict or accidents. “Many clients arrive at the center overwhelmed and deeply discouraged,” Kyawt Thida Aung says. “A few even consider suicide. Our first task is to help them rediscover hope.”
She continues:
“It’s not just about the leg. It’s about restoring the person — physically, mentally, and socially.”
In 2024, CPI began supporting the HORC with high-quality modular prostheses and assistive devices. These advanced limbs are lighter, more durable, and more comfortable, helping clients regain function more effectively.
“With CPI’s support, 11 people have received modular prostheses so far, and others have received wheelchairs, Kaye walkers, and walking frames for children,” says Kyawt Thida Aung. “We follow up three months after fitting to assess their progress. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Selection for these devices prioritizes active users, breadwinners, and women-headed households. Clients must have below-the-knee amputations and typically reside in Kayin or Mon states.
Nan Saw Saw Myat has been with the center since the beginning.
“I started as a bench worker and later trained abroad,” she says. “Now, with over 20 years of experience, I still feel proud every time someone walks out of our workshop smiling.”
The process is deeply hands-on: each prosthesis is custom-built. After taking a cast of the amputated limb, technicians mold and shape the device, adjusting multiple times to ensure comfort and functionality.
“People think it’s like putting on a shoe,” she says. “But it’s a whole journey. There are exercises, fittings, and adjustments. We explain everything carefully. Especially for first-time users, we emphasize patience and perseverance.”
CPI-supported modular prostheses have introduced a new level of sophistication.
“They’re lighter, better-fitting, but also more complex to make,” she says. “But when service users say they feel more confident, that makes all the effort worth it.”
Rehabilitation is about much more than fitting a limb. For Ko Htun Htun, a physiotherapist at the HORC, recovery is a whole-body and whole-person process.
“Before we even fit a prosthesis, we begin training the body: strengthening muscles, correcting posture, building balance,” he explains. “After the prosthesis is fitted, we begin gait training and mobility exercises.”
Physiotherapy at the center is tailored to each service user’s age, health, and lifestyle. For older clients or those with diabetes or hypertension, sessions can extend over a month. Others regain their stride in just a couple of weeks.
“Many arrive afraid or unsure,” says Ko Htun Htun. “We work hard to motivate them — sometimes with peer support, sometimes through counseling.”
A motorbike accident in 2012 changed U Thein Tun’s life forever.
“The truck crushed my leg. I lost it at the scene. But wearing a helmet saved my life.”
The driver paid for his hospital treatment and helped him get his first prosthesis. Since then, U Thein Tun has become a vibrant figure in his community.
“I cut hair, deliver plants, drive cars — all with my prosthetic leg,” he says. “This year, I received a modular device through CPI. It’s lighter, more comfortable. I can work more and feel less pain.”
Beyond work, he leads his para track and field sports team.
“We haven’t won yet, but we show up every year with spirit,” he smiles. “And I help others — I tell them, don’t give up. Do your exercises. You can walk again.”
Ma Khin May Yi, a mother of two, lost her leg to an electric shock in 2021 while picking Marian plums.
“They said both my legs were broken. One was amputated a year later.”
Living in a remote Kayin village, she learned about the HORC through someone who had received help there. Encouraged by social media, she made the journey to Hpa-An.
“I had a prosthesis, but it was heavy — 2 kilograms. Walking was exhausting. Then, in December 2024, the center called and said CPI was offering new modular devices. I hesitated, thinking someone else might need it more. But they explained I was eligible.”
Now, with a new prosthesis, her life has transformed.
“I can ride my motorbike, sew for clients, deliver products. I even work the sewing machine using my prosthetic leg.”
She adds:
“I encourage others — don’t feel inferior. You can live with a prosthesis.”
In 1988, U Aung Htay Than stepped on a landmine, resulting in an amputation.
“At first, I stayed home, too shy to go out. I used crutches. But then I found the HORC.”
Recently, he received a CPI-supported prosthesis.
“It’s very comfortable. I can walk easily, ride my motorcycle, and farm my land.”
He now repairs bicycles and motorcycles from home and tends his sweet potato fields with pride.
“Even with one leg, I work. I tell others in my village about the HORC. I want them to know there is help.”
The HORC doesn’t stop at mobility. The center’s approach includes mental health, livelihood training, peer mentoring, and community outreach.
“We provide small grants to help people start businesses — raising livestock, opening shops,” says Kyawt Thida Aung. “We also link them to vocational training like sewing, hairdressing, and phone repair.”
The center also runs mobile repair units that visit remote areas, identify new service users, maintain prostheses, and provide follow-up care for those who can’t travel.
Inclusion is central to the mission. Six of the center’s 49 staff members are people with disabilities, working in roles ranging from administration to prosthesis manufacturing.
“Hiring PWDs sends a message,” says Kyawt Thida Aung. “A prosthesis alone isn’t enough. People need community. They need dignity.””
The HORC’s work demonstrates what is possible when services are people-centered and holistic. With CPI’s support, the center has taken a leap forward in quality and reach. But there is more to be done.
“Many people still hide at home,” says Ko Htun Htun. “We need more outreach, more rehab centers, and better public awareness.
“We want to strengthen national policies that protect the rights of persons with disabilities,” says Kyawt Thida Aung. “We want children to go to accessible schools, adults to find employment, and communities to embrace difference.”
The HORC has been life-changing for U Thein Tun, Ma Khin May Yi, and U Aung Htay Than. For hundreds more waiting for support, continued funding, awareness, and collaboration will be key.
The HORC is more than a rehabilitation facility — it’s a space of resilience, empowerment, and second chances. Each person who walks out its doors carries not just a new limb, but a renewed sense of purpose.
Thanks to the partnership with Community Partners International, people in some of Myanmar’s most underserved areas are regaining their freedom to move — and to dream again.
With CPI’s support, the HORC will provide modular prostheses, other assistive devices, and follow-up services to 64 persons with disabilities in 2025.
“When we see someone walking with a prosthesis we made,” says Nan Saw Saw Myat, “we feel proud. Because we know we helped them walk toward a better life.”
Interviews have been edited for clarity, brevity, and flow.
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