500 miles

500 miles supports the development and delivery of prosthetic and orthotic (P&O) services in Malawi. We help people with impaired mobility or restricted body function as a result of amputation, congenital deformity, illness or accident to get access to bespoke prostheses (artificial limbs) and orthoses (splints or braces).
Through our One Smile fund, we assist all-comers from all over Malawi to afford P&O devices through our ongoing substantial support of the P&O department at the Lilongwe Institute of Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery (LION) - but we also pay for and subsidise P&O devices for the very poor who would not otherwise be able to afford what they or their children need just to stand up and walk. 500 miles continues to sponsor the training of Malawian prosthetists and orthotists to international standards.

500 miles created prosthetic and orthotic services for northern and central regions, incubated them, and then in 2021 and 2025, respectively, handed them over to the Malawi national health service to run itself with ongoing financial support. Before handover, these services dispensed over 21,000 devices to over 13,000 people. From 2008 to date, 500 miles has trained a substantial Malawian P&O workforce to international standards which continues to work across Malawi.