Trip to Rwanda with HopeWalks
In April, around the time when I was finalizing a summer internship with HopeWalks, an organization that works with clubfoot patients around the world and helps them find adequate treatment, they had asked if I was interested in an intriguing opportunity—joining them on a trip to Rwanda to visit some of their clinic where they were treating children with clubfoot. Understandably, I was hesitant at first to travel halfway across the world with an organization I had met two months prior via the internet. However, after reflecting on the advocacy and space created through Clubfoot Connect, I realized that it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with those for whom I am advocating. Given my personal connection to clubfoot, seeing others affected by it in drastically different circumstances from mine would be an eye-opening experience. And so in June, I was off to Rwanda.
Upon getting there, we met the incredible people leading the trip. Along with executives of HopeWalks based in America, we were introduced to medical professionals who were helping facilitate the organization’s operations on the ground in Rwanda. One of them was a woman named Esperance, a physiotherapist who pioneered the Ponseti Method in Rwanda. She had been working with HopeWalks for over ten years and oversaw all of the clinics operating in the country. Along with her and a few others working with HopeWalks, our group, which included the founder of the organization and a few donors, first visited a clinic about two hours east of the country’s capital, Kigali. There, I was able to witness for the first time patients with clubfoot outside of the context of what I had known—treatment that was easy to come by and a relatively simple process. We spoke to mothers who had traveled multiple days on motorcycles with their children on their backs just to get a consultation, along with children who had never seen someone with clubfoot able to walk. It was incredible to be able to show them photos of my clubfoot compared to where I am at now and provide just a glimmer of hope to these families that it’ll all be okay. Over the next few days, we continued visiting clinics and continued to provide any support we could to these children and mothers who were trying to overcome unimaginable obstacles. In areas with fewer resources and infrastructure, we were told that people faced with clubfoot often have no idea where to receive treatment, and treatment is almost always delayed well into childhood, when clubfoot becomes much more difficult to fully correct.
On our last day in Rwanda, we had the opportunity to visit a patient of HopeWalks who had fully overcome clubfoot. He was a boy named Leonce, and he was only able to receive treatment in the first place because a community member had offered to take over eight hours to the nearest treatment center—his mother was unable because of her physical disability. Leonce’s story was a testament to the profound impact that timely and accessible treatment can have on a child's life. When we met him, Leonce was a vibrant, energetic boy, running around and playing soccer with his friends. It was hard to believe that just a few years ago, he had been struggling with untreated clubfoot. His mother, despite her own challenges, expressed immense gratitude for the support they received from HopeWalks. She shared how Leonce’s successful treatment had transformed not only his life but also their entire family’s outlook on the future.
This trip to Rwanda profoundly changed my perspective on the global disparities in healthcare. It highlighted the importance of organizations like HopeWalks, which bridge the gap between those who have access to necessary medical treatments and those who do not. Witnessing the resilience of the families and the dedication of the medical professionals was incredibly inspiring. The stories and faces of the children I met stayed with me, deepening my commitment to advocate for those affected by clubfoot. This experience made me realize that, while I was fortunate to receive early treatment, many others are not as lucky. It is up to us to help change that reality.
In the next blog post, I’ll be going into more detail about my trip to Rwanda and talking about the importance of on the ground work in global health.
