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

Clubfoot treatment is eternal

Clubfoot treatment is eternal

May 3, 2021

Elielle in Burkina Faso If you ask any Hope Walks staff member why they joined the organization, you may get a different answer. For Elielle, the counseling coordinator for the Burkina Faso clubfoot program, her answer is simple. “It gives me the opportunity to save...

An effective treatment for clubfoot

An effective treatment for clubfoot

Mar 23, 2021

Dennis from Kenya Grace and David are no strangers to clubfoot. Over the past couple of decades, the family has had two cases of clubfoot, both of which were successfully treated, albeit not using the gold-standard casting and bracing process known as the Ponseti...

You are not alone

You are not alone

Mar 23, 2021

Zalika in Niger When facing hardships of any kind, knowing you're not alone is one of the greatest forms of comfort. This was the case for Haoua, whose daughter Zalika was born with clubfoot. The fifth child of Haoua and her husband Saley, Zalika is the first case of...