RAG4Clubfoot participates at the House of Friendship – Melbourne, Australia
June 18, 2023
Always a highlight of the year is participating in the House of Friendship at Rotary International Convention. RAG4Clubfoot Board members and their spounses assist to greet visitors to the booth and share ways Rotarians and their club and/or district can get involved!
Booth #454 – RAG4Clubfoot at the HoF in Melbourne, Australia
April 25, 2023
We are preparing and packing banners, brochures, books, display materials for the RAG4Clubfoot booth in the House of Friendship. We’ll be ready to greet you!
Visit us in Booth #454 – RAG4Clubfoot
We’d love to share how your district and/or club can partner with other Rotary clubs/districts on global grants to expand Ponseti Method training to orthopaedic surgeons in resource limited countries.
RAG4Clubfoot celebrates the article, “Spreading the word about clubfoot treatment” in Rotary magazine (April 2023)
April 25, 2023
RAG4Clubfoot celebrates the publishing of an article, Spreading the word about clubfoot treatment, in the Rotary magazine (April 2023) focused on clubfoot and our efforts to take action to create a world free of clubfoot disability. We are thrilled beyond words!! Networking at International Convention in Houston helped connect two Rotarians to exchange ideas about this possibility.
The article is out in print and online:
RAG4Clubfoot expands their reach into Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire
April 25, 2023
Ralph Hammond, our newest Board member and incoming co-President of the Rotary Club of Bedford, Massachusetts helped to set-up a table in the House of Friendship at a multi-Districts’ conference:
D7890 Western MA and Northern CT
D7910 Central MA
D7930 Eastern MA (Boston and north into Southern NH
Ralph was assisted by the other co-President, Al Roscoe in sharing the concept with fellow Rotarians to support children in developing countries. To focus on training medical officials. Promoting the concept of encouraging families to correct this problem with their children as automatically as we do here in the USA was taken very seriously by those people that took time to chat with us
Way to go, Al & Ralph!! We appreciate you so much!
RAG4Clubfoot Present at D6000 conferences
April 25, 2023
RAG4Clubfoot had a display in the House of Friendship at District 6000 (Iowa, USA) Conferences in three locations:
Carroll, Iowa – April 15
Coralville, Iowa – April 22
West Des Moines – April 29
Thank you Lesley, our Board Secretary, for the display!
Colombia looking to expand their brace bank and educate parents on the importance of the brace
April 25, 2023
Colombia
Written by Marcel van Opstal (Colombia) and Astrid Medina, both are members of RC of Bogotá Centenario (Colombia)
Rotarians in Colombia propose to expand their efforts to ensure 823 children complete their clubfoot treatment by expanding the number of braces available in a brace bank and to provide training to 400 parents regarding the importance of using the braces until age 5 as well as handling and appropriate use of the brace.
In 2021, Rotary and the Colombian Orthopedic Society created the brace bank that lends braces to children free of charge and changes them as the child’s foot grows. This use and reuse of braces saves resources and allows that by wearing braces up to 5 years of age, children maintain the good results of the Ponseti Method.
It has been a fantastic collaborative exercise between the two districts of Colombia, with contributions from more than 25 Colombian Rotary Clubs, 5 Rotary Clubs of Calgary, RAG4Clubfoot on behalf of a donation from an Iowa City (Iowa) Rotary Club, District 5360 (Calgary, Canada) & District 6000 (Iowa, USA).
Global Grant (#2238189) application has been submitted to The Rotary Foundation for review and approval.
Lucky’s Feet — Children’s Story Book Spreading Awareness
April 25, 2023
We’re grateful to share that there have been two instances where the children’s storybook, Lucky’s Feet has been read to children around the globe and impact communities (South Africa and Eldridge, Iowa, USA).
Through this, children shared that they learned several things, including:
– It’s not anyone’s fault when a child has a disability.
– We need to be kind to people with disabilities.
– We need to have compassion.
Furthermore, a board member was contacted and was able to connect resources at a local level in South Africa! We are resource connectors in helping find practical treatment for children with clubfoot!
Video recording of author Dr. Tom Cook reading, Lucky’s Feet
RAG4Clubfoot present at NE PETS House of Friendships
April 25, 2023
March 9 – 11, 2023
RAG4Clubfoot seized the opportunity to display our work in the House of Friendship at Northeast Presidents-Elect (NE PETS) Training Seminar held in West Newton, MA (USA) March 9 – 11. Districts present were: 7780, 7850, 7890, 7910, 7930, 7950 and 7980.
Thank you, Ralph Hammond, our newest Board member for introducing us to your region!
Photo (l – r): Marcel van Opstal, Co-Chair, Ralph Hammond, Board member; and Victor Tom, DG 7910.
Photo (l – r): Marcel van Opstal, Co-Chair; Tomeka Petersen, Co-Chair; and Ralph Hammond, Board member & PDG 7910.
Argentina Update – Written by Elisa Oviedo, RC of Ground Bourg
November 28, 2022
In March 2022, training was carried out by the Vocation Training Team (VTT) Dr. Morcuende, Dr. Paz and Dra. Nogueira. Initially for seven hospitals in Argentina where 70% of clubfoot cases are found. We also delivered 500 splints and equipped the clinics so that the Ponseti Clinics could function. We also delivered printed material. The second visit of the VTT was in October, finding the hospitals in full application of the Ponseti Method. Two hospitals were added that we had not originally planned.
Being such a successful project, Rotary and the World Health Organization invited grant primary contacts to present at the WHO headquarters in Geneva to coincide with World Day 2022 Polio and Beyond, October 22.
We transferred the invitation to the VTT, happily they were able to travel to Geneva. Dr. Morcuende gave a 7 minute lecture with a very concise and sensitive PowerPoint presentation and answered questions. This project was selected along with 20 – 25 other Global Grants from around the world focused on Maternal and Child Health, a privilege!
Brazil (GG1638412) Ponseti Method Training Grant
November 28, 2022
Written by Dr. Monica Nogueira, RC Saõ Paulo-Sudeste
Brazilian global grant 1638412 -Erradicando o Pé Torto no Brasil (dist 4420, 6000, 5970 and 5300) is progressing and in September we´ve been in Belem for the evaluation of the north region. We had presentations of the doctors from the 4 states, and doctors from Belem (Raul Boetger, Paulo Braga) showed a structured reference Ponseti clinic in their new children Hospital. The state of Amazonas is being organized, and putting together forces to increment their clinic in the public hospitals. We had very good news from Rio Branco, Acre, with Dr Nelson Marquesini, with a reference clinic very organized there, and we had a great opportunity to train Dr Roberto Dourado, from Macapá, Amapá, and he has the support of the parents association there, very active.
Iowa’s Gift to the World funding for 5 symposiums
The north region evaluation is the second of 5 different evaluation simposiae, one per Brazilian region. We check if the clinics were implemented, if they are working well, and all the indicators for a good reference clinic.
The first was in Recife, Pernambuco, for the Northest region, in April 29 and 30, 2022.
We had a very important symposium in São Carlos, in June 11 and 12, for the evaluation of all national foot abduction braces for clubfoot.
Sao Paulo meeting of the Ponseti Method June 10 – 11 in Sao Carlos Eradicating (GG1638412) and orthotizing (GG1981190) of congenital clubfoot.
There are 3 more important symposiae, scheduled for next year: Evaluation of South Region, in Porto Alegre March 24 and 25th, evaluation of the Center West Region, in Campo Grande, May 26 and 27th, and evaluation of Region Southeast in Rio de Janeiro, August 18 and 19th 2023.
GG1981190 “Ortetizando o pé torto no Brasil”
(English translation, Orthetizing clubfoot in Brazil)
3000 braces from the 3 best braces were bought by a new global grant 1981190 “Ortetizando o pé torto no Brasil” Rotary districts 4540 RC S Carlos Norte, 4420 RC SP Sudeste, and Santo Andre, and districts 1870 and 1830, from RC Willich, Germany and doctors from the whole State of São Paulo presented their 21 ponseti reference clinics with wonderful results.
