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.
