A Development Economist Went Looking for Data
In a recently published Christianity Today article, economist Bruce Wydick asks a profound question: What does God’s heart reveal about human flourishing?
After studying the devastating impact of untreated clubfoot in Ethiopia — and seeing how a simple $500 intervention through Hope Walks restores children’s physical mobility, social inclusion, mental health, spiritual engagement and economic potential — Wydick set out to examine something deeper.
He analyzed all 171 recorded interactions of Jesus in the Gospels, categorizing how Christ addressed spiritual, physical, social, psychological and economic needs. Working with theologians and even AI researchers, he uncovered something remarkable:
Jesus’ ministry reveals a holistic concern for every facet of human flourishing.
“The impacts of the Hope Walks intervention were larger than any other Christian intervention for which we could find reliable impact data.”
Dr. Bruce Wydick — In Christianity Today
The results? Clubfoot treatment through Hope Walks produces one of the most comprehensive impacts on human flourishing of any Christian poverty intervention studied to date.
👉 Read the full article in Christianity Today to explore how biblical priorities and rigorous economic research converge — and why restoring a child’s feet may restore far more than mobility. (You can access the article by setting up a free account with Christianity Today.)
👉 Read the full article on the Ethiopian study in Health Econonics.
Grounded in Peer-Reviewed Research
The findings highlighted in the Christianity Today article are based on:
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A large-scale impact evaluation in Ethiopia
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Comparative sibling analysis
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A biblically informed Human Flourishing Index
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Peer-reviewed publication in Health Economics
The research demonstrates that untreated clubfoot affects:
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School participation
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Social belonging
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Mental well-being
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Faith journey
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Economic outlook
Treatment restores mobility — but also restores dignity, inclusion and spiritual engagement.
This is not theory.
It is measured transformation.
Why Clubfoot Treatment Matters So Deeply
In high-income countries, clubfoot is treated in infancy. Most people never see its effects.
In low-income countries, untreated clubfoot often leads to:
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Lifelong disability
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Social exclusion
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Poverty
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Spiritual isolation
Hope Walks partners with national healthcare systems across 14 countries to provide the Ponseti method — a simple, highly effective treatment delivered in early childhood.
The results speak for themselves.
But now, they are also backed by one of the most comprehensive theological-economic evaluations of human flourishing ever applied to a Christian nonprofit intervention.
