Every year in Tanzania over 2,400 babies are born with clubfoot. Clubfoot is a condition that has a lasting impact on the lives of affected children, massively restricting their movement and pushing them to the margins of society. Thanks to the Ponseti method, it is completely treatable. However, poverty prevents many parents in Tanzania from financing the simple but effective treatment for their children.

In newborns, therapy should begin within the first few weeks of life, as the tissue is still very elastic. The foot is gently manipulated every week to stretch the short and firm ligaments and tendons on the inside, back and underside of the foot. A plaster cast is then applied from the toes to the groin. It is intended to hold the correction achieved and stretch the tissue until the next manipulation. The plaster cast is changed every seven days. In most cases, five to seven casts over a period of five to seven weeks are sufficient to correct the deformity. In a final step, which involves a minor surgical procedure, the Achilles tendon is then severed, known as an Achilles tendon tenotomy. Stabilization is then achieved by wearing a clubfoot splint at night until the child's 5th birthday.

Particularly in the Lindi region, where the St. Walburg’s Hospital is located, many people are affected by extreme poverty. We want to support the families and give the affected children a better future. With just €500, a child with a clubfoot can be treated at St. Walburg’s Hospital - and start a life without limitations. Dr. Michael Fakharani, a specialist in orthopaedics in Bremen and a volunteer in aid projects in Africa for many years, would also like to establish the treatment of children and young people with clubfoot in Nyangao. He has already successfully introduced conservative plaster and splint treatment in other hospitals and - during his visit to St. Walburg*s Hospital in October - made all the preparations for the treatment with the local medical team.

Thanks to our community health project, in which the medical team regularly visits the surrounding villages, continuous support and care is possible to ensure the success of the treatment.

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