Zahir & Rowel
Malawi
Clubfoot
Brothers, Zahir and Rowel were both born with clubfoot; a condition which causes the feet to fold painfully down and inward.
When they were young, their mother sought help for their condition from their local hospital. However, neighbours said ‘If you keep on taking them to hospital, they will end up cutting their legs off!’.
Zahir and Rowel’s condition bought a lot of strain to their family. Their mother stopped taking them to hospital and their parents seperated.
The boys moved away to live with their father and started school. Here, a teacher advised them to go back to their local hospital. Although their father divorced his wife, he still had doubts about seeking medical treatment.
Thankfully, their father decided to take the teachers advice and took Zahir and Rowel back to their local hospital, where they were referred to the CURE Clubfoot Clinic.
The boys have now received Ponseti treatment, where casts are used to slowly manipulate the foot around straight, and now they scheduled to receive surgery to release their tight tendons. The boys are well on their way to walking on straight feet together for the first time in their lives!