A local organisation working to help children born with clubfoot has called on South Africans to join a campaign to raise funds for thousands of children to undergo life-changing surgery.
According to Luke Engel, marketing manager of non-profit organisation Steps, a child born with clubfoot needs effective, early treatment. Neglected or untreated clubfoot leads to permanent disability and is a barrier to participating fully in the economy and in society.
“Children born with clubfoot are unable to walk, run or play due their feet being rotated inwards or downwards, or legs being unequal lengths.
“Left untreated, the child will live a life of disability and face further psychological and socio-economic burdens. But it doesn’t have to be this way; clubfoot can be treated with the highly effective and non-invasive Ponseti method,” said Engel.
Founded in 2015 in the Western Cape, Steps has ensured that thousands of children have had access to effective treatment.
“Steps responds to a huge regional need where it is estimated that 2 000 children are born every year with clubfoot but only 8% of those children will have access to health insurance or the means to pay for treatment, said Engel.
For the month of September, Steps has launched a national “STEPtember” campaign to raise R50 000.
With the campaign on donation-based crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy, supporters are encouraged to set up their own campaigns to help the organisation.
Visit https://form.jotformeu.com/72543433309353 to sign up for the STEPtember challenge on BackaBuddy. For more information, email [email protected]