Four-year-old Naitapuaki is the third born of five children in her family. She was referred to Watsi’s medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, by another program caring for children with disabilities in Tanzania.
Naitapuaki has congenital clubfoot, a condition in which her foot is twisted out of position due to short tendons in the foot and ankle. Naitapuaki is only just starting to walk because her father assigned an aunt to carry her everywhere because of her disability.
Treatment for clubfoot is surgery to release the tendons in the involved foot and ankle, followed by serial casting to maintain the foot’s proper position. After the casts are removed, Naitapuaki may wear a brace for a year or more to maintain the proper position of her foot.
Naitapuaki’s father was not aware that there was any kind of treatment for his daughter. He is a subsistence farmer and is unable to afford his daughter’s care by himself. “I would like my daughter to be treated so that she can walk and play with her siblings and peers,” he shares.
For $1,160, Naitapuaki will undergo surgery and also receive cast changes, braces, and four months of accommodations at The Plaster House for recovery and rehabilitation.
Naitapuaki’s treatment will take longer than the normal three months because of the severity of her condition, but it is expected that the surgery, serial casting, and rehabilitation will be successful in the correction of her feet.