Build Prosthetic Hands Through Team Building: How Odyssey Teams Makes a Global Impact

Team building has moved far beyond trust falls, ropes courses, and predictable icebreakers. Today, organizations are looking for experiences that not only strengthen collaboration but also bring purpose, emotion, and long-term impact into the workplace. At Odyssey Teams, we’ve dedicated more than 30 years to creating programs that do exactly that — and one of the most meaningful is our Helping Hands program.

Helping Hands is more than a team-building activity. It's a movement. It’s a way for companies to transform ordinary meetings into extraordinary moments of human connection and global contribution. Through this program, teams assemble prosthetic hands that are donated to amputees around the world — individuals who have lost limbs due to war, accidents, natural disasters, or congenital conditions.

To date, Odyssey Teams has facilitated the building and distribution of over 80,000 prosthetic hands, restoring independence, mobility, and dignity to recipients in more than 100 countries. Every hand built is not just a tool — it is a symbol of hope, compassion, and possibility.

A Global Effort: Shire Pharmaceuticals APAC Leaders in Vietnam

One powerful example of the Helping Hands program in action comes from Shire Pharmaceuticals’ APAC leadership team. Leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, not just for a meeting, but for an opportunity to create life-changing impact.

During the session, the team assembled eight prosthetic hands with meticulous care, teamwork, and focus. What made this activity stand out wasn’t only the precision required or the collaboration it sparked — it was the profound realization that their hands would be placed into the arms of real recipients in Vietnam the very next day.

That immediacy matters.

Knowing that their collective effort would directly change someone’s life created an atmosphere of purpose and gratitude. Conversations shifted. Energy changed. The team wasn’t just building a product — they were building possibility.

To bring additional impact, hands built by program participants in Australia were combined with those built in Vietnam. With a total of 21 prosthetic hands, Odyssey Teams CEO Bill John traveled across Vietnam to deliver and fit each device personally.

Seeing the Sparkle in Someone’s Eye

There is a moment many of us never forget after seeing a recipient use their new prosthetic hand for the first time. It’s a subtle but unmistakable expression — a shift in posture, a deep breath, a widening smile. Bill describes it simply as “a sparkle in their eye.”

One of the recipients, Kahn, a 58-year-old man, lost his arm at 13 while digging out leftover metal from the aftermath of the Vietnam War. For decades, simple activities such as writing, holding objects, or even using two hands to embrace family members were impossible.

During the fitting, something remarkable happened:
Kahn used a pen for the first time in over 40 years.

These moments often lead to surprising reactions — laughter, tears, disbelief, gratitude. Recipients rediscover movements and experiences they assumed were gone forever:

Writing their name
Holding a cup
Riding a bicycle
Preparing food
Hugging loved ones
Returning to work
Reclaiming normal daily tasks

For many, these are not just physical milestones — they are emotional rebirths. A new hand represents independence, dignity, and a renewed sense of identity.

Recipients come from diverse experiences:

Survivors of landmine explosions
Individuals injured in farming or industrial accidents
Children and adults born with limb differences
Elderly individuals who thought rehabilitation was out of reach

Despite their different backgrounds, the joy is universal.

Team Building That Truly Matters

The Helping Hands program is designed intentionally — not only to deliver prosthetic care, but to deliver a deeply transformational team-building experience. Participants don’t just “assemble” something; they engage in a process that stretches their collaboration skills, empathy, and awareness.

Teams learn to:

Communicate clearly and effectively under time pressure
Problem-solve with precision and purpose
Collaborate to build a device that must function perfectly
Reflect deeply on the human impact of their work

There’s a moment in every Helping Hands session when the room grows quiet. What began as a hands-on activity becomes a powerful recognition: this is going to change someone’s life.

The experience shapes teams in a way traditional activities rarely can. It creates shared purpose. Shared pride. Shared meaning. Participants leave not only feeling more connected to one another, but more grounded in the values that drive great leadership.

Many leaders describe the session as one of the most profound moments in their career development — a reminder of what it means to serve something bigger than oneself.

Your Role in a Global Mission

Helping Hands is just the beginning of addressing the global need for prosthetic care. Of the estimated 7 million below-elbow amputees worldwide, the majority do not have access to prosthetic devices. Cost, distance, and lack of infrastructure make it nearly impossible in many regions.

That means every set of hands your team builds has extraordinary value.

Each prosthetic hand helps restore:

Mobility
Functionality
Confidence
Social belonging
Economic opportunity
Human dignity

But perhaps more importantly, it sends a message: you are seen, you are supported, and your story matters.

When your team participates in the Helping Hands program, you’re joining a movement that continues long after the event ends. Many companies share stories of how the experience inspired new initiatives, reinforced company values, or strengthened team culture.

As Bill John often says, “The program connects teams to meaningful work — and connects people to one another. It’s rare to do both at the same time.”

What Will Your Story Be?

Imagine the impact your team can make in just a few hours. Imagine giving someone on the other side of the world the ability to write again, work again, or hug their family again.

Now imagine the story your team will tell afterward:

A moment of deep collaboration
A shared achievement
A real-world impact that lives far beyond the meeting room

Helping Hands is a flexible, scalable program designed for:

Global conferences
Regional retreats
Department offsites
Leadership programs
Company-wide team building
Intimate team sessions

Whether you're hosting 10 people or 1,000, the experience leaves a lasting imprint — internally through strengthened teams, and externally through meaningful global impact.

Get Involved

If you're ready to bring Helping Hands to your next company meeting, retreat, or offsite, the opportunity is waiting. Your team can help restore independence to amputees around the world while discovering a renewed sense of purpose and connection.

To explore program details, scheduling, or customization options:

📩 Email: learn@odysseyteams.com
📞 Phone: 800-342-1650

Together, your team can build prosthetic hands, strengthen relationships, and change lives — one hand at a time.

Build Prosthetic Hands For Amputees & Build Better Teams