Jealous is someone who never misses an opportunity to pay it forward. When his daughter, Sympathy, was born with clubfoot in 2014, the anguish and uncertainty he felt about her diagnosis ignited in him a profound compassion for other parents going through the same thing.  

When Jealous first saw his daughter’s crooked foot, he could tell it wasn’t normal. Inundated with shock, fear, and hopelessness, Jealous pleaded with God for answers. “Why me?” “What have I done to deserve this?” It was the first time he, or anyone in his family, had seen the condition. It brought into question everything he hoped and expected for his daughter’s future. Would she be able to walk, go to school, make friends? He had no idea that her condition had a name, much less a treatment. 

Clubfoot affects 1 in every 800 children born worldwide, 90% of whom are born in low- and middle- income countries where proper treatment is difficult to find. Sympathy was one of 600 babies born with clubfoot in Zimbabwe that year. But unlike Sympathy, most children born with clubfoot never receive treatment and in fact, an estimated 8 million people alive today are living with the devastating consequences of this treatable condition.  

After the birth, Jealous and his wife faced stigma, discriminatory comments, pitying gazes, and social isolation. Their community viewed Sympathy’s condition as a curse and thought her mother had been bewitched, perpetuating the harmful stereotypes and misconceptions that plague so many families whose children are born with clubfoot. Despite his fears, Jealous willed himself to be strong and encouraged his wife to do the same so they could help Sympathy as one, united force. “We won’t let fear dictate our actions,” he told his wife valiantly, “We will find a way to give Sympathy the best life possible.” 

Hurdles Give Way to Hope 

A week later, when Jealous and his wife returned to the hospital for a post-natal checkup, they learned from the nurse that Sympathy’s deformity was called clubfoot and were referred to a clinic for treatment. Fortunately, the nurse had been trained to identify clubfoot, explain the condition, and refer parents to a nearby clinic to start the treatment process.  

​At the clinic they learned about the Ponseti method, a highly-effective way of treating clubfoot provided free of charge through a local NGO, the Zimbabwe Sustainable Clubfoot Program (ZSCP)—MircleFeet’s local partner. Despite the great news, fear and uncertainty still lingered. 

Sympathy was just 11 days old when she started treatment—one hurdle down but a hundred more to go. Sometimes Jealous struggled to find childcare for his son so he and his wife could take Sympathy to the clinic. They faced negative comments whenever they carried Sympathy home in her casts. On top of that, the clinic was usually very busy and they had to wait several hours to be seen by a provider. ​However, after just two months, Sympathy was finished wearing casts, had received her tenotomy, and her feet were straight! She was given a brace to wear for 23 hours a day for the next three months, which took some getting used to. 

A Little Support Makes a World of Difference 

Although Jealous’ experience finding and completing treatment for his daughter was overall positive, he often felt stressed being in the clinic with so many babies, and sometimes parents, crying. He recognized that they needed support to stick with the treatment protocols, but the clinic staff were usually too busy to take on counseling. Jealous remembered how vulnerable and hopeless he felt when Sympathy was born and decided to ask ZSCP if he could volunteer in the clinic to help support and encourage other families navigating treatment. He learned about a peer-support program called “Ponseti Guides” and immediately signed up. He attended a training and began to counsel other families on treatment challenges, encouraging them to stick with all stages of treatment, and help answer questions.  

Now a seasoned Ponseti Guide, Jealous knows that everyone’s experience is different, each with unique challenges. Many mothers’ lives change forever the day they give birth to a child with a birth defect. Through his volunteer role, Jealous has supported mothers who have been abandoned, abused, beaten, chased away, neglected, and ostracized simply because their baby was born with clubfoot. He has even worked with families that had to relocate after being overwhelmed by the stigma and discrimination from community members. No matter the circumstances, he is dedicated to helping others continue the not-always-easy journey he himself once walked.  

A Future no Longer in Question 

Today, Sympathy enjoys walking, running, playing and learning – all things that were clouded in uncertainty at the time of her birth. Now in 5^th grade, she is excelling academically, in sports, socially, and has become a role model to the community. Jealous and his wife are so grateful for the treatment Sympathy received and feel confident and excited about her future.  

For Jealous, seeing other children complete treatment is all the compensation he needs for his work as a Ponseti Guide. He is an incredible advocate continually motivating parents and challenging fathers to love, support, and advocate for their children born with clubfoot. His story is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of empathy in action.