Team Building with Purpose
Prosthetic Hand Build
Your team assembles functional prosthetic hands for amputees in low-income countries — most of whom have no access to commercial prosthetics. STEM-flavoured, surprisingly emotional, scales from 10 to 300+.
Enquire now →Your team doesn't volunteer at a charity. They deliver something for one.
Every hand your team assembles is calibrated, packaged and shipped to a real person waiting on the other end — most often someone who has lived for years without a working prosthetic.
What is the Prosthetic Hand build day?
There are over 35 million amputees worldwide who could benefit from a prosthetic limb. Most live in low- and middle-income countries where commercial prosthetics — at thousands of pounds each — are completely out of reach. The result: a life lived one-handed, with the daily, practical loss of independence that follows.
12 Degrees runs Prosthetic Hand build days in the UK in partnership with a global prosthetic hand charity. Your team works in pairs, assembling and calibrating a functional mechanical prosthetic from a sealed kit. There's a real technical satisfaction in the build — a few moving parts, careful alignment, working tendons and finger curl — but the kits are designed to be assembled by first-time builders.
This is a deliver-for activity, not a volunteer-at one. Every hand built is checked, packed and shipped to a recipient overseas, free of charge to them. Particularly well-suited to engineering, biotech, medtech and STEM-led cultures — but the emotional return is universal.
How a Prosthetic Hand day runs
We deliver in a half-day or full-day format — pick the one that fits the rest of your agenda.
Welcome & Brief
The scale of global limb loss, the technology, the people who'll receive the hands. Why this activity exists.
Build the Hand
Pairs assemble a hand from a kit. Tendon routing, finger calibration, palm alignment. About 60-90 minutes per pair.
Test & Calibrate
Each hand is functionally tested — grip, release, finger curl. Adjustments made until everything operates cleanly.
Pack & Photograph
A team photo with the finished hands. We collect, pack and arrange shipping to the destination country with the charity partner.
Where the charity provides post-fit imagery, your team sees the hand in use — fitted to its recipient, weeks later.
Group sizes & indicative pricing
Pricing is per person and includes the prosthetic hand kit, facilitation, materials, shipping contribution and post-event impact report. Final quote depends on venue, format and add-ons.
Small Team
£65
From, per person
Mid-Size
£58
From, per person
Conference / Large
£52
From, per person
The need is enormous. The fix is simple.
Functional prosthetic hands change lives in the most concrete way: holding a cup, carrying a bag, working, eating, parenting one-handed becomes two-handed again. Each hand built by your team is one more person who has that returned to them.
35M+
Amputees worldwide
90%
Live in developing countries
~5%
Have access to a prosthetic
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about how a Prosthetic Hand day runs. For broader questions about 12 Degrees, see the FAQs in the footer below.
How long does a build take?
A focused build runs 90 minutes to 2 hours including welcome, brief, build, calibration and team photography. Half-day and full-day formats add wider discussion, debrief and impact storytelling.
Where does it happen?
Usually your office. We bring kits, tools, mats, facilitators. We also deliver at venues across the UK, on away days, and at conferences as a break-out session.
Do we need to be technical?
No — but technical teams love it. The kit is designed for first-time builders and our facilitators talk pairs through each step. Engineers tend to take it furthest with calibration and refinement.
What's the minimum and maximum group size?
Minimum 10 to make the day worthwhile. We've delivered up to 300 at conference scale. For larger groups, we phase the build flow and bring multiple facilitators.
What do we get back after the day?
A shipping confirmation, an impact summary, and where the partner charity provides it, post-fit imagery of the hands in use — so your team sees who they helped.
Can we combine this with another activity?
Yes — Prosthetic Hand pairs well with a wider away day, a conference, or alongside another purpose-led format (SolarBuddy, Pack for Purpose). Talk to us about combined formats.
Bring the Prosthetic Hand Build to your team
Tell us your group size, location and ideal date — we'll come back with a tailored proposal and a date in the diary.
Enquire now →