GCI Awards Mini-Grants to 12 GCI Members to Establish Sustainable Rehabilitation Groups

Global Clubfoot Initiative (GCI) is pleased to announce the award of mini-grants to 12 GCI members to support the launch of clubfoot rehabilitation services.  

These grants are part of GCI’s ongoing Delayed Presenting Clubfoot (DPC) training programme, which aims to standardise and institutionalise the treatment of clubfoot in walking age children through clinical training across Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Learn more – Delayed Presenting Clubfoot Training — Global Clubfoot Initiative 

As part of the DPC training programme, participants learned protocols to assist in the post-operative recovery of children with delayed presenting clubfoot. The mini-grants were awarded to selected GCI member organisations with representatives who participated in the DPC training. The funding has been used to establish sustainable rehabilitation groups in recipients’ home clinics to support the post-operative recovery of children with delayed presenting clubfoot. 

GCI received a number of high-quality applications, and the recipients were chosen based on their demonstrated commitment to implementing effective rehabilitation services within their clinical settings. These grants will provide the resources to bridge critical gaps in care, ensuring that children born with clubfoot receive the comprehensive support they need. 

One of the recipients, Dr Oubda .B.A.K. Faïçal  of the Burkina Faso Hope Walks Clubfoot Program , shared:   

“The DPC mini-grant helped us to concretely organize and develop the local expertise and network in DPC care. It allowed us to plan the treatment process better, especially the rehabilitation aspects, beginning therapy right after surgery and while children are still in casts. With the DPC training, we have modeled and established an inclusive and multidisciplinary communication strategy to exactly know how, when and what to communicate to the patients' families and we have strengthened our multidisciplinary approach” 

Another recipient, Dr. Charles Bizimana, Orthopeadic Surgeon at Gahini Rehabilitation Center in Rwanda emphasised the impact of the grant:   

" The rehabilitation of delayed presenting clubfoot (DPC) is not just about restoring mobility, it is about restoring dignity, hope and a future full of opportunities".  

GCI is committed to increasing global access to clubfoot treatment and rehabilitation. Through initiatives like the DPC training programme and mini-grant support, GCI and its members are working towards a world where every child born with clubfoot can walk, play and run free. 

For more information about the Global Clubfoot Initiative, the Delayed Presenting Clubfoot training, please contact: training@globalclubfoot.org. 

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Global Clubfoot Initiative: www.globalclubfoot.com