World Clubfoot Day takes place on 3rd June every year. It’s a day to commemorate the birthday of Dr Ignaçio Ponseti, the pioneer of the Ponseti technique for clubfoot – a ground-breaking and non-invasive method for treating clubfoot.
Every year around this day, the STEPS CHARITY NPC – the only non-profit in South Africa focused on clubfoot treatment, calls for an increase in awareness of clubfoot, as well as highlights the need for an increase in the reach of clubfoot treatment programmes across more areas and to more children.
This year, they’re holding a challenge. Called the SHOELACE CHALLENGE, the challenge is a collaboration with Achilleus in the Czech Republic. The call is for people to wear yellow, tie their shoelaces together and then see how far they can run or walk. Photographs or videos of the challenge are shared by people onto their social media (with the number of steps managed), tagging STEPS’ Facebook or Instagram pages.
“The most-asked question that we receive from parents is the one: will my child walk,” says Gaby Rademeyer, Co-ordinator at STEPS. “This is what we want to ask people to experience – the disability of untreated clubfoot. Clubfoot is when the foot or feet are twisted downwards and inwards, in a rigid position. If left untreated the child will be unable to wear shoes or walk normally, leading to a life of disability, isolation and pain. Unlike many other birth defects, clubfoot is treatable and through this challenge, we want to raise awareness of how life-changing the Ponseti treatment for clubfoot is. It literally takes someone from disability to mobility.”
Lisakhanya Rulumeni is a great example of this. Born in October 2022, she had bilateral clubfoot (in both feet). Her mother, Zimkitha did not know what was wrong with her daughter but did know that her feet did not look normal. Treated at Maitland Cottage Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital clubfoot clinic in the Western Cape, Lisakhanya now has normal feet. She is able to run and play like other children. “The treatment went so well because I came and followed each and every step I was told to follow,” says Zimkitha. “I was educated all about clubfoot from the clinic and my baby’s feet are perfect now. I advise parents to make sure they attend each and every appointment. Follow all the steps and procedures…..and trust the doctors and Lord.”
Says Stanislava Bašatová, CEO and founder of Achilleus: “According to a recent study (https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/4/714), clubfoot remains one of the most common congenital birth defects. It is important to us that there is a constant awareness that this condition can be treated, which is what the Shoelace Challenge is all about. We want healthy people to at least get a little closer to what it’s like to walk with untreated clubfoot and to realize how important and miraculous the Ponseti method is”.
STEPS currently supports 38 partner clinics in the South African state health sector by training healthcare workers, focusing on advocacy, patient-centred care, and supplying clubfoot braces. Clubfoot clinic coordinators are trained by STEPS on parent education and clinics are supplied with parent education leaflets, posters, training, and medical devices. STEPS also mentors and supports clubfoot providers in neighbouring countries with educational resources, training and medical devices.
“We have incredible donors to assist us in providing all of this support to our partner clinics,” says Karen Moss, CEO and Founder of Steps. “For World Clubfoot Day 2022, we launched our monthly giving programme STEPPING UP. There are now 43 children supported by people who signed up. Our goal is to eventually support 1,000 children through their treatment through this donation programme that everybody can contribute a little bit to, that when added together makes such a big difference to many children. With mobility, a child has a chance to become part of society and to make their own way in the world. Clubfoot treatment is not a luxury, it’s a human right.
“Our model was recognised this year at the CSR NEWS SA Legacy Awards as the winner of the Best Rising NGO award. Since founding the NPO, we are so proud that over 18,000 children have accessed effective treatment, 1,424 health professionals have been trained and 18,868 clubfoot braces have been distributed.”
“In my formative years, I spent enough years in clinics and hospitals for a lifetime,” says Mpumelelo Mhlongo, a paralympian and proud STEPS ambassador. “The greatest lesson my parents taught me from those incredulous times and travels, is that we borrow the earth from the next generation, and it is our responsibility as adults to ensure they have the foundation that allows a future where they can unlock their potential and power.”
