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More than £80,000 was donated by the public for NDORMS and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre doctors to train African medics to treat children born with debilitating clubfoot.

Child smiling post-treatment to clubfoot. © CURE International

The money was donated in a month-long University of Oxford crowdfunding campaign for the Africa Clubfoot Training Project, which has trained healthworkers from 18 countries. More than 30,000 African children are born with clubfoot each year and many will not receive treatment as it is not available where they live.

Without treatment, the condition becomes neglected clubfoot, a painful and severely disabling deformity, even though 95 per cent can be treated using the Ponseti method. This involves gentle manipulations of the foot with plaster casting and then a small procedure to divide a tight tendon. The child then wears a brace for a short time.

Professor Chris Lavy said: "We are very pleased to have raised over £80,000 with even more coming in. This will be used for further training in clubfoot treatment in several African countries. Because of the public's kind gifts, children will now be able to walk normally and go to school."

To donate, please email: clubfoot@ndorms.ox.ac.uk

Find out more

  • Chris Lavy
    Chris Lavy

    Professor of Orthopaedic and Tropical Surgery and Consultant Orthopaedic and Spine Surgeon

  • Grace Drury
    Grace Drury

    Programme Manager & Executive Assistant to Professor Chris Lavy

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