For Parents

 

Clubfoot information

What is clubfoot?

Clubfoot is a deformity present at birth that twists the foot downward and inward, making walking difficult or impossible. While it cannot be prevented, it can be corrected using a relatively inexpensive treatment process called the Ponseti method.

Read more about Clubfoot

Can it be treated?

Yes, clubfoot can be treated! We adhere to treatment through the Ponseti method, the gold standard of clubfoot treatment. The treatment phase involves weekly casting for four to eight weeks and, in most cases, a minimally-invasive outpatient procedure to lengthen the Achilles tendon, called a tenotomy. After this, in the maintenance phase, children wear a foot abduction brace for 23 hours a day for three months, and then at night and nap time until the age of five. Children born with clubfoot can take their first steps on completely straight feet thanks to early intervention and to this relatively simple, cost-effective treatment method.

Where can I get help?

We currently operate partner clubfoot clinics in 16 countries in Africa and Latin America. Click the “find a clinic” button below to see if there is a Hope Walks partner clubfoot clinic near you. If not, please contact us and we’ll do our best to refer you to someone who can help.

Find a Clinic

Parent Education Tool

A guide for parents of children with clubfoot. Download in your language.

English
Amharic
Chinchewa
Creole
French
Kinyarwanda
Kirundi
Portuguese
Spanish
Swahili

Video Resources

Hope Walks has been working in partnership with Medical Aid Films to create four films about clubfoot and the Ponseti method of treatment. These films are used to train parent advisors, as well as an educational tool for parents. Videos (with and without English/French subtitles) are available for streaming or download by clicking the images below. Currently the videos are in English, French and Portuguese. Within the next few weeks, Spanish, Amharic and Kinyarwanda translations will be available.

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Stories from Our Families

Walking Free

Walking Free

Dec 10, 2025

Ella in Zambia Ella’s parents work at a prison facility in Zambia, so they are no strangers to people being unable to walk free as they please. But when their daughter was born with clubfoot, that concept took on a new meaning. Though they had their doubts, the family...

Two miracles in a row

Two miracles in a row

Dec 10, 2025

Riady in Mozambique When Ana’s newborn son was diagnosed with clubfoot, she received the news calmly. Through a tumultuous pregnancy, she had been praying for her son, Riady, to be born alive. In her eyes, she’d been given a miracle. In Ana’s seventh month of...

Overcoming a Flurry of Fears

Overcoming a Flurry of Fears

Nov 17, 2025

Wonderful in Malawi In many communities, clubfoot is unfamiliar, and therefore deeply alarming. For Abel and Mary, things were no different. When their son Wonderful was born with clubfoot in both feet, they were overwhelmed with a flurry of fears. Will he ever be...