Abstract
{ "background": "Decades of conflict in Angola have left a legacy of landmine injuries, creating a significant population of amputees facing profound mobility and economic challenges. While prosthetic provision is a recognised component of rehabilitation, the specific impact of locally manufactured, low-cost devices within post-conflict community development contexts is under-researched.", "purpose and objectives": "This study investigates how access to locally manufactured prosthetic limbs influences the physical mobility and livelihood strategies of landmine survivors in Angola, aiming to understand the socio-economic reintegration process from the participants' perspectives.", "methodology": "A qualitative, phenomenological design was employed. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a purposively sampled group of adult lower-limb amputees who had used a locally manufactured prosthetic for at least one year. Thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed data.", "findings": "Analysis identified three core themes: restored agency, economic re-engagement, and persistent structural barriers. A key concrete finding was that over three-quarters of participants reported initiating small-scale trading or agriculture, activities directly contingent on their improved mobility. However, device durability and terrain accessibility were frequently cited limitations.", "conclusion": "Locally manufactured prosthetics are a crucial, though not sufficient, intervention for reintegration. They catalyse increased mobility, which participants directly linked to renewed economic activity and enhanced social participation, yet broader systemic support is required for sustained livelihood security.", "recommendations": "Policy should integrate prosthetic provision with targeted livelihood programmes. Support for local manufacturers to enhance product durability and develop terrain-specific adaptations is essential. Community-based peer support networks should be formally recognised and resourced within national rehabilitation frameworks.", "key words": "landmine survivors, prosthetics, livelihoods, reintegration, Angola, community-based rehabilitation", "contribution statement": "This study provides novel empirical evidence on the lived experience of using locally manufactured prosthetics, highlighting a direct mechanism linking mobility to specific livelihood activities and informing a community-centred model for disability-in