Rain Barrel client “miraclefeet” gets support from Clarks Shoes
We post below the press release of miraclefeet, an NGO that promotes low-cost, non-surgical treatment of clubfoot in several developing countries. It is exciting that they are getting the financial and creative support that will make a difference for kids with this all-too-common and very treatable disability. Rain Barrel is working with miraclefeet to make its work better known within the clubfoot treatment community and, more importantly, in poor communities in six countries where clinics provide treatment at no cost. Check them out at www.miraclefeet.org.
Clarks Shoes funds miraclefeet: two big steps towards treating clubfoot
Carrboro, NC (January 15, 2012) – miraclefeet, the non-for-profit organization working in six countries around the world to treat the disability of clubfoot in children, has teamed up with Clarks Shoes, one of the world's leading manufacturers and retailers of children's shoes, to scale up its work in clubfoot clinics in India and to design an affordable brace, essential for the non-surgical treatment of clubfoot.
Clarks, the British heritage shoe brand, is dedicated to working with selected corporate charities and NGOs to channel knowledge and corporate funding back into communities at a global scale. On-going partnerships with miraclefeet, global organisations including UNICEF and local community organisations, all form part of Clarks’ commitment to the communities they operate in.
Clubfoot affects one out of every 750 children and is a leading cause of physical disability in the developing world. Left untreated, clubfoot makes it difficult to walk and results in a painful and humiliating disability. Disabled children in low resource setting are prone to high rates of abuse, neglect, illiteracy and poverty. miraclefeet supports local health practitioners trained in the Ponseti method to enable them to establish clubfoot clinics in public hospitals, greatly increasing access to highly effective, but low cost, treatment. The Ponseti Method was developed by Dr. Ignacio Ponseti at the University of Iowa in the 1950's and now widely accepted as the gold standard treatment for clubfoot.
“Clarks is an ideal partner for miraclefeet. The company is dedicated to taking care of feet, particularly those of children. They have a long-standing culture of philanthropy and service, and have retail and manufacturing interests in most of the countries in which miraclefeet operates. Most importantly, they care deeply about being able to transform the lives of children by providing a simple and inexpensive treatment for those born with clubfoot around the world.”, said Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld, Executive Director of miraclefeet.
"miraclefeet is one of the key global organisations we work with. Through partnerships with organisations like miraclefeet we can use our knowledge and corporate funding to make a positive impact globally," says Chris Pleeth, Director of Clarks Group Property and Procurement and lead for Clarks Community and Charity. "miraclefeet has shown us that clubfoot is treatable and solvable and Clarks’ involvement can make a real difference. If successful, there will be opportunity to fund further regional Indian programmes in communities we operate in and others worldwide.”
The partnership has two aspects. Funding from Clarks and the Clarks Foundation supports treatment of children born with clubfoot in Maharashtra State in India. Clarks is supporting treatment in 12 clinics across Maharashtra, a state of 112 million people, which is estimated to be home to over 10,000 children living with untreated clubfoot. Mumbai is one of the biggest cities in Maharashtra and one of Clarks’ strategic markets for business growth.
The second aspect is a collaboration of Clarks’ research and development teams in Boston and the UK with Stanford University’s prestigious Design Institute to develop and produce a low-cost, easy-to-use foot brace. Use of a foot abduction brace, worn at night to prevent relapse, is a vital element in the non-surgical Ponseti method to correct clubfoot.
“As we worked with clinics in poor communities around the world, it became clear that bracing was the weakest link in the Ponseti treatment,” says Ms. Colloredo-Mansfeld, referring to the fact that parents often struggle to keep their children in a brace long enough or consistently enough once the casting process ends. “We believe the newly designed brace has the potential to greatly enhance clubfoot treatment on a global scale. Clarks is making a major breakthrough possible."
Stanford University’s Design Institute students are working to address the limitations of the braces available in most low resource settings which are difficult to use for parents and often uncomfortable for tender babies’ feet, resulting in poor compliance. Higher quality braces are available but these are out of the price range of most families. In support of their research, Rick Byrne and Anthony Perillo, both with Clarks Research and Development, have been sharing their shoe-design expertise to create an affordable, comfortable brace, leveraging Clarks’ extensive knowledge of children’s feet to ensure more effective treatment of clubfoot.
miraclefeet is dedicated to providing treatment for children born with clubfoot in developing countries. It partners with local orthopedic surgeons working in public hospitals to establish and support clubfoot clinics. miraclefeet believes this is the most effective, efficient and sustainable approach to prevent the significant disability caused by clubfoot. miraclefeet can fully treat a child with clubfoot in a developing country for about US$250 per child, transforming his or her life forever.
contacts:
Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld, Executive Director, miraclefeet: chesca@miraclefeet.org, 919 249 5572
Rebekah Farr, Internal Communications Manager, Clarks International: rebekah.farr@clarks.com, +44 1458 842808