About Clubfoot Correction Awareness
Initiative, CaCAI
Virtually in all developing
countries, the most pressing human need is the abject lack of unlimited access
to good healthcare. Thousands die of treatable illnesses, while those that
manage to survive, more often than not become physically debilitated. The
largest population in the developing countries is ignorant or has scant
information about most illness conditions afflicting them. With this ignorance,
people are left to conjure up explanations about the causes of certain
diseases, and very often attributing them to witchcraft, curses or other
traditional myths. This leads to the stigmatization of the affected members of
community leading to their seclusion if not expulsion from the mainstream
society.
It is against this similar
background that gave the ground for the founding of CaCAI. Its President and
Executive Director, Jennifer Wambui Karanja was born with a clubfoot on her
left leg which was a beginning of a series of painful operations, six in total.This condition was unheard
of and was taken as any other form of disability. Her parents desperately
looked for medical interventions unsuccessfully since there were no specialized
clubfoot correction wards in public hospitals.
Jennifer was subjected to painful
surgeries that only ended up in exacerbating her condition as well as hampering
her studies in school. When everyone had despaired, a knight in shining armor
came in form of a family friend, which was a major turnaround in Jennifer’s
clubfoot condition. She was referred to AIC CURE Kijabe, known then as Bethany
kids where she received a specialized treatment for clubfoot. This gave her the
hope of leading a normal life just like her friends in school. She was now able
to walk without limping too much as was the case before the treatment, and her
shoes could now last longer.
One thing remains clear in her
mind today after digesting useful information about clubfoot; that if there was
an early specialized clubfoot correction, her condition would have been
corrected through a pain free method and her left leg would have been far much
better than it is today. Today, she can only wear boots since her left foot cannot
walk on heeled shoes. She admires women in heels but she painfully knows that
she cannot wear them. A closer look of her walking style will notice a limping.
She knows this. Jennifer decided not to let any other person go through what
she underwent or miss what she misses today. To achieve this, she founded CaCAI. Against all odds!
CaCAI’s core mission is to raise awareness on the need for early
correction of clubfoot. Early intervention is pain- free, inexpensive and
effective. CaCAI roots for the Ponseti Method. As the brains behind
the Ponseti Method, Ignacio Ponseti,
M.D. puts it, "Parents of infants born with
clubfeet may be reassured that their baby, if otherwise normal, when treated by
expert hands will have normal looking feet with normal function for all
practical purposes. The well treated clubfoot is no handicap and is fully compatible
with normal, active life."
The majority of clubfeet can be
corrected in infancy in about six to eight weeks with the proper gentle
manipulations and plaster casts. The treatment is based on a sound
understanding of the functional anatomy of the foot and of the biological
response of muscles, ligaments and bone to corrective position changes
gradually obtained by manipulation and casting.
Our Slogan is;
All is well with my feet!
Our Mission is to;
Raise awareness on the need for
early detection and correction of clubfoot through the Ponseti Method of
clubfoot intervention.
Our Objectives are;
- Disseminate all the useful information about clubfoot to people. The information includes clubfoot causes and the best correction methods
- Sensitize people on the importance of early detection and correction of clubfoot
- Execute awareness campaigns that will debunk the myth that clubfoot is caused by curses, witchcraft and other traditional beliefs
- Campaign for the Ponseti Method of clubfoot correction
- Liaise with organization with similar objectives to raise awareness on the advantages of early clubfoot correction via the Ponseti Method
- Look for donors to fund the full/partial medication of indentified needy clubfooted individuals
- Join hands with celebrities that had suffered or had/have a personal experience with clubfoot to raise awareness about clubfoot as well visiting clubfoot victims to motivate them
- Inspire clubfooted individuals by showing them success stories of other clubfooted personalities
People should actually know that clubfoot can be corrected in a pain-free manner through the Ponseti Method. Everything goes back to normal!
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