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riyono, 49, thought he would never return to Jakarta after an accident took away his left leg five years ago.

Living for almost two decades as a mobile tailor in the city, he could not imagine, with only one leg, having to look for clients.

Sriyono, his wife and five children returned to his hometown in Purwodadi, Central Java, despite uncertainty of what the small city could offer them.

"*In Purwodadi* I became a construction worker, sold ice lollies, everything. I could not rely on my skills to make a living there," he said.

He decided to pluck up courage and returned to the city this year. In Jakarta, he started from scratch again, working for other tailors as finding new clients requires high mobility, amid tough competition from other tailors.

The tables finally turned in his favor when he chanced upon the news that Panti Peduli Tuna Daksa in Sunter, North Jakarta, provided prosthetic limbs for the poor.

In October, he received his new leg, which enables him to travel to seek clients.

"The new leg gives me hope. I can work more productively in a day. I hope I can soon bring my family here to be with me, just like the old days," he said.

Humans are dynamic creatures and losing mobility because of a dysfunctional part of their bodies may constrain them from getting jobs, having self-confidence or simply interacting with people.

Rin Bambang, 59, who runs a care home for the elderly in Matraman Dalam, South Jakarta, told the story of an old woman she used to take care of.

In her 70s, the woman had to support her children and grandchildren by selling salted eggs. She injured her feet while getting on a moving public bus on her way to deliver the eggs.

"The accident left her limping. She could not go to work, while her children could not take care of the family. Sad and distressed, she died not long afterward," Rin said.

Since 2007, Panti Peduli Tuna Daksa has produced 2,331 limbs for recipients all over the country.

One such recipient was Subagyo, 22, who was born with only a right arm. He said his artificial arm has helped him get jobs, which do not come easily to disabled people.

He said he spent years unemployed after his graduation because no companies were willing to accept his disability.

"I always felt inferior because of my disability and the rejections just crushed me," he said.

With the help of his new prosthesis, Subagyo works as a street vendor selling onions at traditional markets in Sunter, North Jakarta.

He said he had experienced an increase in profits and had been able to settle down in the past year. He has even decided to marry his high school sweetheart next year.

Panti Peduli Tuna Daksa started with a group of volunteers and doctors from Sadhu Vaswani Center who held an event to gather disabled people and hand out prostheses. The two-week event ended up giving out 267 prosthetic limbs to patients while some 1,300 people registered on the list.

"The high demand made our spiritual leader J.P. Vaswani ask us to open a center to help more people in this country," Jai Kishin Pursani, the center's chairman, said.

He said the prostheses center was finally established in 2008, helping patients survive disabilities caused by accidents, diseases and natural disasters.

Head of the West Java chapter of the Indonesian Disabled Women's Association, Sri Agustini, said the center has been very helpful for the disabled in the provinces.

"They have helped 600 people over the year, eight of which were from the recent earthquake," she said.

Sri said applying for a prosthesis was not difficult, as one only had to bring the basic documents like one's identity card, family card and a photograph.

Kishin said the center aimed to reach more disabled people in the country but their limited budget had hampered their endeavors.

"We often work together with other parties to reach a larger number," he said.

As an example, Kishin cited cement producer PT Semen Padang that the center had worked with to help victims of the recent West Sumatra earthquake.

The center produces limbs using Jaipur Foot technology, first developed in Jaipur, India, in 1968. Prostheses are made of different types of rubber, giving it a multi-flex foot, the closest to the human foot in functional terms. The socket of the limb is made from fiber plastic and it is attached with aluminum buckles.

The National Statistics Board recorded that Indonesia had more than 2 million limbless people in 2008.

Thursday is International Day for Persons with Disabilities. To improve awareness of the special needs of the disabled, Peduli Tuna Daksa will organize a "Walk for Hope" on Dec. 13, a charity walk in which beneficiaries of artificial limbs and residents can walk together. The walk will start in Bung Karno Sports Complex Plaza Tenggara, Senayan, South Jakarta, at 6.30 a.m.

- JP/Adisti Sukma Sawitri