GiveWell Podcast Episode about MiracleFeet: “Evaluating and Funding a New Kind of Grant”
In episode #28 of GiveWell’s podcast, their CEO and co-founder Elie Hassenfeld sits down with Program Officer Meika Ball to discuss GiveWell’s grant to MiracleFeet. They explore the organization’s program, its cost-effectiveness, and Meika’s recent site visit to see the work firsthand in Côte d’Ivoire.
Listen Here
Two GiveWell staff members recently traveled to Côte d’Ivoire to visit health facilities and see firsthand how children are being treated through MiracleFeet’s clubfoot treatment program. They spoke with a range of stakeholders, including healthcare workers, implementing partners, representatives from the Ministry of Health, caregivers of children receiving treatment, and disability advocates. Seeing the program in action increased their confidence that Miraclefeet’s work is having an important impact on the lives of children born with clubfoot. They also saw early evidence of Miraclefeet’s efforts to integrate the program into national health systems, such as clubfoot being added to a maternal child health booklet that parents and midwives review after a child is born.
In the episode, Elie and Meika discuss several other important aspects of the MiracleFeet’s work in Cote d’Ivoire including:
- Raising awareness of clubfoot and the Ponseti method. The podcast highlights awareness‑raising as a critical component of MiracleFeet’s work, particularly in contexts where clubfoot is widely untreated. GiveWell points to MiracleFeet’s efforts to educate communities, caregivers, and frontline health workers so children are identified early and referred for care. Increasing understanding that clubfoot is treatable—and treatable effectively with the Ponseti method—is key to increasing enrollment and coverage.
- Training healthcare providers. MiracleFeet’s model includes equiping government healthcare workers with the skills needed to diagnose and treat clubfoot using the Ponseti method. This provider training is foundational to scaling access, ensuring treatment quality, and embedding expertise within existing health systems.
- Integrating clubfoot care into national health systems. By partnering with Ministries of Health and public healthcare facilities, MiracleFeet helps make clubfoot treatment a routine, accessible service within national healthcare systems—provided at no cost to families. GiveWell notes that this systems‑level integration is central to sustainability and long‑term impact.
- Preventing dropout and supporting treatment completion. GiveWell also discusses MiracleFeet’s programmatic focus on helping families complete the full course of treatment, which can span several years. MiracleFeet supports clinics with supplies, follow‑up systems, and caregiver engagement to reduce dropout and improve adherence to bracing. GiveWell’s site visit observations underscored how these efforts translate into sustained treatment completion and better long‑term outcomes for children.
This episode was recorded on March 30, 2026 and originally published on GiveWell’s podcast webpage.
