Treating clubfoot, transforming lives

Paralympic High Jump Gold Medalist Jonathan Broom-Edwards, Paralympic Table Tennis Bronze Medalist Aaron McKibbin, and Swiss Olympian and World Champion climber Petra Klingler are MiracleFeet's first official ambassadors.

“Films are a powerful way to raise awareness, improve understanding and encourage action.” The third edition of the Health for All Film Festival hosted and organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its 2022 shortlist selections this week. Among 1,027 submissions from 110 countries, the story of  João Paulo, a boy from Brazil born with complex clubfoot, is a finalist in two categories: Universal Health Coverage and the Special Prize on Rehabilitation. Winners will be announced May 10. WHO asks the public to comment and “vote” on the official selection by sharing one film that most speaks to them on social media using #Film4Health. Comments can also be posted directly on the WHO YouTube playlists available from the Festival’s website. In the coming weeks, jurors will review the shortlisted films and recommend winners to the WHO Director-General, who will make the final decision. About the Film Rachel Vianna produced and directed João Paulo’s story with her team at MoxyDox, a film group in Sao Paolo. The short documentary, titled The 5%: A Family’s Perspective on Complex Clubfoot, Ten Years Later, shows how far he has come, while honestly presenting the challenges of ongoing rehabilitation for his relapse. For 95% of children born with clubfoot, a series of 6-8 casts followed by a brace treats it completely. But João Paulo’s story represents the 5% whose treatment is more complicated. João Paulo was also one of the first children whose care MiracleFeet supported through its very first partnership in Brazil. WHO’s selection is important in recognizing clubfoot, a condition for which myths and misperceptions persist, despite it being the most common congenital cause of physical disability worldwide. Recognition among global health organizations and policy leaders is key to raising awareness about the importance and extreme impact of clubfoot’s low-cost treatment and reducing stigma for people living with the condition. About the festival Special Prize on Rehabilitation: films telling stories about the life changing impact that rehabilitation has on people’s lives. Rehabilitation addresses the impact of a health condition on a person’s everyday life and ensures that people remain as independent as possible, while continuing to participate in education, work and meaningful life roles.  240 million children with disabilities worldwide cannot access the rehabilitation they need, and most people will require rehabilitation at some point in their lives, for injury, disease, illness, or decline in function with age. Many countries are not equipped to respond to existing rehabilitation needs. The Health for All festival invites independent filmmakers, public institutions, NGOs, students, and other global communities to submit original short films on health issues and aims to recruit a new generation of film and video innovators to champion and promote global health issues. The competition has received 3,475 films from 110 countries since 2020. Each entry competes for the Grand Prix prizes in three categories: Universal health coverage (UHC)Health emergenciesBetter health and well-being This year, four Special Prizes will be awarded to films featuring health innovations, rehabilitation, plus a student film and a very short film. The Grand Prix prize includes a WHO trophy, certificate, and $10,000 grant. Winners of the Special Prizes will receive a $5,000 grant and all winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in mid-May. The jury includes three WHO senior experts and distinguished artists and activists: Sharon Stone (actor from the USA); Emilia Clarke (actor from the UK); Mia Maestro (actor from Argentina); Anita Abada (producer from Nigeria); Eddie Ndopu (UN SDGs Advocate from South Africa), and Dr Eckart von Hirschhausen (TV presenter from Germany). Vote by sharing. Tag #Film4Health You can help champion local filmmaking, Joao Paolo’s journey, and MiracleFeet’s mission by posting a comment about the film on any social media platform between now and May 10, 2022 about the importance of this story in raising awareness, reducing stigma, and encouraging action for clubfoot care—an issue overlooked in public health for far too long. Be sure to use #Film4health in your post and note that select posts will be shared during the awards ceremonies. See João Paulo’s full story here. A Philosophy of Compassion That’s Shaping the Future for Thousands of Kids in Nepal Somalia has four physiotherapists for 15 million people. Meet one of them. This Paraguayan Doctor is Helping Almost All Children with Clubfoot in Her Country Access Treatment Meet Mr. Clubfoot, a Pioneer of Ponseti in Africa Clubfoot has many heroes —including you. Your partnership strengthens our global movement to ensure every child has access to life-changing treatment now and for generations. Donate Now

The Assistive Technology Impact Fund (ATIF), part of the UK Aid-funded AT2030 program published a new report, MiracleFeet: the human impact of clubfoot braces in Nigeria and Liberia in which 98% of guardians surveyed, whose children have used the MiracleFeet brace, say clubfoot treatment “overwhelmingly has a positive impact on children’s quality of life, with improvements to children’s ability to move, stand, play, and forge positive relationships.” A brace worn primarily at night for up to 5 years is a critical part of clubfoot treatment. Poor compliance can lead to relapses. Brace-wearing is the longest stage of the Ponseti method and the most likely to determine long-term success, as the only statistically significant factor in clubfoot recurrence. Following a series of casts, children wear an abduction brace consisting of shoes and a bar which maintain the feet in position as they grow. It is worn for 23 hours a day for the first three months, and then while sleeping for up to five years. In 2021, MiracleFeet became one of the first organizations to benefit from the AT Impact Fund. ATIF supports disability innovation ventures to scale through capital and technical assistance, and aims to drive market-based solutions for assistive products that enable people with impairments to reach their full potential. Did you know? Clubfoot braces earned a spot in the WHO’s first ever global guide for assistive technology. The WHO Assistive Product Specifications outline 26 essential devices that health systems must supply for inclusive health services—and clubfoot braces are #5. MiracleFeet and ATIF are piloting a project to commercialize the MiracleFeet brace in Nigeria—Africa’s largest market with 9,500 children born with clubfoot every year—by leveraging existing medical device distribution channels and healthcare provider networks to expand access to a reasonably priced, high-quality clubfoot brace throughout the country. To better understand features of the brace, and results of MiracleFeet‘s work for children living with clubfoot, ATIF commissioned 60 Decibels to conduct research using specifically designed tools that could measure the impact of assistive technology. Highlights: 200 parents and guardians of children receiving MiracleFeet treatment in Nigeria and Liberia were surveyed using the Assistive Technology Impact Measurement survey.98% of children who used the MiracleFeet brace as part of their treatment protocol experience improved quality of life. Parents and guardians attributed the improvement to their child’s ability to move, stand, play, and forge positive relationships.Parents and guardians of children undergoing Miracle Feet brace treatment are highly satisfied and loyal towards the company, with a Net Promoter Score ® of 88. The research is also part of GDI Hub’s AT2030 work with WHO and UNICEF to drive global affordability and availability of assistive products through market-shaping, which includes the 26 essential Assistive Product Specifications to guide countries in prioritizing their provision in health systems supply chains. Clubfoot braces have been included in the first ever APS, a global guide for assistive technology to improve the life of millions, which WHO, AT2030, and UNICEF launched in March 2021. Led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub and funded by UK Aid, AT2030 tests ‘what works’ to improve access to life-changing Assistive Technology (AT) for all; investing £20m over 5 years to support solutions to scale. AT2030 will reach 9 million directly and 6 million more indirectly, driving a lifetime of potential. AT2030 operates in 31 countries globally. The MiracleFeet Brace 3 bars and 6 pairs of shoes: average needed to complete clubfoot treatment MiracleFeet partners reported the lack of an easy-to-use affordable brace was the single biggest impediment to scaling Ponseti treatment in their countries. Since braces are worn for up to four years after the completion of active treatment, and they are critical to long-term patient outcomes, MiracleFeet knew that scaling clubfoot treatment in low- and middle-income countries required a high-quality, low-cost solution. Partnering with Stanford d.school, in 2013 we set out to design a brace that would be affordable, easy to use, and durable. Costing less than $20 to produce, the FDA-registered, patented MiracleFeet brace comes with all the functionality of $350-$1,000 braces used in the U.S. Children in 36 countries have used the brace since we started producing it with Suncast, Clark’s Shoes, and Fortune Footwear. In 2021, a prototype of a sensor to track and promote proper brace usage won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award. Related News WHO and Global Agencies Tackle Clubfoot in Disability Innovation Live Series The Time Is Now: New Report Calls for Global Action for Children and Adults with… A world apart: a global clubfoot journey fueled by one woman’s resolve Finding Treatment for a Leading Newborn Condition Shouldn’t Be an Odyssey