Two decades of healing clubfoot

In a heartwarming celebration of resilience, healing and advocacy Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital became a beacon of hope last week as World Clubfoot Day was commemorated alongside the 20th anniversary of STEPS Clubfoot Care, a non-profit organisation (NPO) that has transformed thousands of young lives across Southern Africa.

- NAMHLA MONAKALI

Children dressed in casts and braces, symbols of their journey through the Ponseti method of treatment, were the centre of attention as families, health-care professionals and STEPS representatives gathered to celebrate the visible progress of those living with clubfoot, a congenital condition that causes one or both feet to turn inwards or downward.

“Clubfoot is not a life sentence, it’s a treatable condition,” said Karen Mara Moss, the founder and CEO of STEPS Clubfoot Care. “With early care, children born with clubfoot can walk, run, and live full lives.”

Since its inception in 2005 STEPS has helped more than 20 000 children gain access to life-changing treatment, mostly through public health-care clinics. The organisation has also played a pivotal role in introducing and expanding the use of the Ponseti Method in South Africa, a non-surgical, low cost treatment that, when started early, yields excellent results.