Aimé Kahungu: General Director
Tony Tshilema: Director of Operations
Lungungu Shuna: Technical Director

Most ACDF staff are themselves disabled persons drawn from the ranks of former beneficiaries. They are thus highly motivated to see other disabled persons benefit from the use of mobility-enhancing orthopedic equipment.

Additionally, having a staff made up of former beneficiaries helps build self-confidence for new beneficiaries. Seeing other disabled persons manage a large operation and do most of the work involved makes an enormous impression on both disabled children and their families visiting ACDF´s facilities for the first time.

The most important benefit of all, however, is probably that for young beneficiaries of very impressionable age, having it be older youth who are disabled in much the same way as they are--and who wear leg braces and use crutches just as they do--and who take care of them on a day-to-day basis, is tremendously empowering.

Since older disabled persons not only craft the equipment for new beneficiaries and teach them to walk, but also treat minor illnesses, help them with their homework, and even physically carry them around when they are as yet unable to walk themselves, younger beneficiaries are literally surrounded all day long by positive images reinforcing the message that physically disabled persons still have many important capacities and can certainly find useful roles in the society.

Through their own very "can do" outlook, the ACDF staff successfully counters any tendencies towards feelings of uselessness and self pity among new beneficiaries and instead infuses these youth with confidence and a very "go for it" general view towards life.