Earlier this year, we launched a new program with MiracleFeet, a global NGO operating in 37 countries, to improve access to treatment for clubfoot in Morocco. In June, team members from the Barzilai Foundation, Nathalie Saccone and Hind Akri, had an opportunity to accompany members of the MiracleFeet team in a visit three of the clubfoot clinics.
Team with Regional Health Director of Errachida
Over 200,000 children are born with clubfoot worldwide each year. In developed countries, most cases are detected at birth and treated during infancy. Untreated clubfoot leads to permanent disability, is extremely painful and severely limits an individual’s potential for financial independence. MiracleFeet treats clubfoot non-surgically using the gold-standard treatment known as the Ponseti method, which results in full mobility in 95% of cases. Timely intervention is crucial, and in Morocco, access to trained resources is one of the most limiting factors to individuals receiving the treatment they require.
The Barzilai Foundation and MiracleFeet partnered to expand treatment resources in Morocco, launching five clinics with this capability, upskilling specialists, and providing treatment equipment.
The team visited three of the clinics where our program is funding the training of specialists and building of treatment capabilities for clubfoot. The first stop was to visit a university hospital in Rabat. Meeting with the president of Premier Pas, a local partner organization heading up the delivery of the program, they got to see firsthand the treatment process for eight patients during both the casting and bracing stages of treatment.
In Ouarzazate, the team met with clubfoot technicians at a smaller, regional clinic and observed as they treated six patients. The Ouarzazate clinic team had just completed training in May on treatment procedures for clubfoot, as part of our program, so we were able to witness how clinic activities were used to both prove out capability as well as reinforce new skillsets. “Even though this clinic was just trained, the level of professionalism and skill was impressive,” Nathalie said. “They are delivering a high standard of care to these children.”
The third stop of the visit was at the regional clinic in Errachidia, a center which was fresh off of training just a few weeks prior. At this location, treatments included casting and bracing as well as a procedure called a tenotomy, where a tendon in the back of the foot is cut to improve ankle flexibility and reduce the risk of relapse.
“The most impressive part of everything we saw, was the passion and positive attitude,” Nathalie said. “These doctors and technicians are going above and beyond because they know that they are giving these children bright futures. The enthusiasm was contagious, I left so excited to see this program develop even more.”
The program is still in the early stages, but upon successful completion will impact over 100 children per year and provide a capability in multiple communities that will last for years to come. In addition to improving the patients’ future potential, it changes the attitude and outlook of both them and their families.
“The families I saw at these clinics were so happy that this program expanded to them. They felt truly fortunate,” Nathalie said. “It's an experience that I will hold dear and one that serves as a reminder of the positive impact we can have on others."
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