Dr. Mehta founded the Jaipur Foot (BMVSS) – the parent body of Jaipur Foot USA in 1975 and Jaipur Foot USA was set up in 2014.
The minute you start instituting a charge for your service, the most vulnerable populations are the first sector of society to be marginalized.” These words from Devendra Raj (D.R.) Mehta perfectly captures the driving spirit and core mission behind Jaipur Foot.
The organization, the largest of its kind in the world, has helped more than 1.7 million people in 29 countries since its inception in 1975. We don’t charge a cent for their life-changing services and we even help recipients, many of whom previously existed as beggars on the streets, to find meaningful work once they have been fitted with their new prosthesis.
D.R. Mehta, a graduate of the Sloan School of Management at MIT, and a former Deputy Governor of the Indian Reserve Bank and Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, was moved to dedicate his life to Jaipur Foot after a near-death experience that saw him almost lose a leg to amputation. The experience got Mehta thinking about what happens to people of lesser means in similar situations and how their lives are profoundly and permanently impacted after such an accident.
Jaipur Foot has an open-door policy, that enables any person in need to avail of their services. We manage overhead to an incredibly thin 4%, far better than other non-profits, ensuring that 96 cents of every dollar goes directly to the people who need it the most. Mehta has said “I believe that if I divert even one penny to an activity other than serving the poorest of the poor, I am committing a moral sin and a legal wrong.
Jaipur Foot has received various awards and recognitions owing to its significant role in society and the world. Notable among them is Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organisation for its services.
In the last four decades, Jaipur Foot has remained stubbornly committed to making the lives of underprivileged and physically disabled people better. Our value systems and patient-centric management are the wings upon which we have achieved these groundbreaking results.