The Straight Child Foundation said it started treating 91 children born with clubfoot in August 2025. The treatments are taking place in 20 special clinics across 11 Nigerian states.
Bright Amadi, the Foundation’s Project Supervisor, spoke in Umuahia, Abia State. He said over 71% of the children being treated are younger than one year old, which shows the foundation is focused on treating the condition early.
Amadi said the foundation follows international standards in its treatment. On average, each child had about 4 to 5 casting visits before getting a minor surgery called tenotomy. So far, 96% of the children have had this important procedure.
However, Amadi mentioned that some children stopped coming for treatment.
He said that during the month, around 5% of children in the casting stage and 10% in the bracing stage dropped out of the program.
Most families stopped bringing their children because of high transport costs and other family challenges. Amadi said the foundation is working harder to follow up with these families and help them return to treatment.
He also said the foundation trained health workers on how to use the CAST system at IHHM Clinic in Umunze, Anambra State, to improve their skills.
The foundation also visited clinics in Nnewi, Oghara, Benin, Aba, and Owerri to check the quality of treatment and make sure data is recorded correctly.
Amadi explained that clubfoot is a birth condition that twists a baby’s foot into the wrong position. It affects many children around the world each year.
He added that finding and treating clubfoot early helps prevent a lifelong disability. He said the foundation’s work shows how teamwork between local and international partners can help reduce childhood disabilities in countries like Nigeria.
