Attendees of the CCW El Salvador opening event .
El Salvador (MNN) ― CURE Clubfoot Worldwide (CCW) has cured more than 1,000 children with clubfoot in Latin America.
The September launch of CCW's newest program in El Salvador means that even more children have a chance for healing from the world's most common birth defect. CCW's executive director, Andrew Mayo, says, "A child that is born with a disability in a developing country generally grows up without an ability to go to school, will generally not hold a job, and often won't get married. They'll live their life unproductive."
Treatment of this defect is simple and effective. CCW works to educate and resource medical teams so they are ready to be on the frontlines. "We've had tremendous response from their teaching hospital in San Salvador and the orthopedic surgeons there, as well as the ministry of health."
The CCW El Salvador program begins with four clinic locations: two in San Salvador, another in Santa Ana, and a fourth in San Miguel. The first training occurred September 4-6. Mayo says, "We got all the doctors together and began the process of teaching them the Ponseti technique, which is a technique for treating clubfoot that does not require surgery."
Ideally, CURE provides the framework for the new launch until they're ready to sustain themselves. In this case, Mayo says, they're looking at working themselves out of a job by 2013. "At the end of three years, it really is their program. It really is an El Salvador national program. We've helped them, we've enabled them, and we've created the mechanism to help them get going."
Each of these clinic sites will eventually provide children 2-years-old and under free clubfoot treatment through the utilization of the nonsurgical Ponseti Method. "Our goal is to help support the program and get it up and running so that it's very successful, having good results, and everybody in the country recognizes the value."
Counseling is also offered to the children's parents. It serves two purposes, explains Mayo: "Our counselors can build a relationship with those parents over that period of time through explaining the medical process; but they're building a personal relationship which is a platform for them to be able to, outside the clinic, share the Gospel."
CCW is also partnering with the Ponseti International Association and the Rotary Club of Santa Tecla, San Salvador, in this program. As with any new program, there are needs for spiritual support and financial support. Click here if you can help.
