HANDS Clubfoot Programme

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with an estimated population of over 200 million people with most of the people living in rural areas and some urban centres. It is estimated that over 9,000 new cases of clubfoot are seen every year.

HANDS in partnership with MiracleFeet International is creating universal access to treatment and management of clubfoot which is a leading cause of physical disability for children worldwide. HANDS in collaboration with State and Federal Government Hospitals, and Faith Based Clinics in Northern Nigeria are working with local health workers and organizations to bring low-cost solution to children who need clubfoot management and treatment today and for generations.

In December 2021, MiracleFeet International began a new partnership with Health and Development Support Programme (HANDS) to expand support to the Northern part of the country. HANDS programme focuses on advocacy, technical support, community mobilization and sensitization, workforce capacity enhancement, monitoring, supervision and evaluation of activities. They also partner with the governments of Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Plateau, Nasarawa and Abuja in various ways and will include clubfoot in these collaborations.

In cooperation with HANDS, MiracleFeet provides comprehensive support to the clubfoot programme including training providers in the Ponseti method and the ACT Curriculum, and supplying MiracleFeet braces. The programme uses CAST to monitor and evaluate providers’ treatment quality and educates providers on the importance of monitoring and evaluation and data-driven decision making. Additionally, MiracleFeet works with partners to develop outreach activities including small group presentations and home visits to increase awareness and educating parents about treatment availability.

HANDS is currently collaborating with five clinics in 2 States and the FCT- Abuja in the North with opportunity of expanding to other Northern States.