PLAN Foundation Champions Maternal And Newborn Health Through Clubfoot Intervention In Nigeria
World Health Day 2025 Theme: Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures
Ibadan, Nigeria. April 7, 2025 8:00 AM (WAT)
On April 7 each year, World Health Day unites people across the globe to confront urgent health challenges and advocate for stronger health systems. This year’s theme, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures” emphasizes the importance of maternal and newborn health, recognizing that the first moments of life are crucial to long-term well-being. Ensuring that mothers receive respectful, quality care and that every newborn is given the best possible start is not only a moral obligation but also a foundation for thriving societies.
Yet, for millions of women and infants worldwide, this ideal remains out of reach. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 800 women die each day due to preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Meanwhile, newborn deaths now represent nearly half of all deaths among children under five, many of which are linked to insufficient healthcare, undiagnosed congenital conditions, and lack of timely intervention.
PLAN Foundation: Advancing Maternal and Newborn Health in Nigeria
Rising to meet this challenge, PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation (PLAN Foundation), a non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to promoting health and sustainable development, with a strong focus on maternal and newborn health believes that health is a right, not a privilege. PLAN Foundation is working to ensure that every mother has access to skilled care and that every child receives early support for a healthy life.
This commitment is reflected in its vision: a world where every woman, man, or child is able to take control of their lives and pursue happiness, which is their basic and inalienable right. A cornerstone of PLAN Foundation’s maternal and child health strategy is its innovative clubfoot intervention program, currently being implemented in Oyo State with generous funding support from MiracleFeet, a global leader in clubfoot care.
Clubfoot and Its Connection to Maternal and Newborn Health
Clubfoot, a congenital condition affecting the feet, often goes undiagnosed at birth especially in low-resource settings where prenatal screening is limited and postnatal assessments are inconsistent. Left untreated, the condition can cause lifelong disability, chronic pain, social exclusion, and poverty for both the child and their family. PLAN Foundation’s clubfoot program is rooted in the understanding that addressing such birth defects is integral to comprehensive newborn healthcare. Our approach links maternal health, neonatal screening, early detection, timely treatment, and ongoing parental support bridging gaps between healthcare systems and underserved families.
PLAN Foundation currently implements a robust intervention focused on early diagnosis, effective treatment, and public awareness. In just a few months, it has provided free treatment for 43 children in Oyo State, with support from MiracleFeet, at clinical centers including Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, and the Ring Road State Specialist Hospital, Ibadan in Oyo State. Through community outreaches, radio campaigns, and health education sessions, PLAN Foundation is fostering a more informed society one where parents, caregivers, and health professionals can identify the condition early and seek appropriate care.
Key Actions by PLAN Foundation
Training and Capacity Building: The Foundation has trained over 60 healthcare providers, including midwives, nurses, and community birth attendants, on the early identification of clubfoot as a congenital anomaly. This ensures that diagnoses can be made immediately after birth, a critical window for initiating treatment.
Integration into Antenatal and Postnatal Care: PLAN Foundation collaborates with public and private health facilities to integrate clubfoot screening into routine newborn assessments. Mothers are educated by healthcare workers during antenatal visits about birth defects and the importance of postnatal follow-up, helping them become active participants in their children’s healthcare journey.
Treatment and Follow-Up Care: In recent months, over 40 children diagnosed with clubfoot have been enrolled in free, non-surgical treatment programs using the globally recognized Ponseti Method. This method, which involves gentle manipulation, casting, and bracing, is most highly effective when started early—preferably within the first few weeks of life.
Community Awareness Campaigns: To combat misinformation and harmful cultural beliefs surrounding birth defects, PLAN Foundation has launched a grassroots media campaign using local radio, community forums, and other community settings. These campaigns educate the public about the causes, treatments, and non-contagious nature of clubfoot, encouraging early medical intervention rather than shame or isolation.
Referral Networks and Follow-Up Systems: The Foundation has established referral pathways linking primary health centers with specialized treatment clinics, thereby ensuring that no diagnosed child is left without care due to distance, cost, or lack of information.
Building Stronger Futures, One Step at a Time
PLAN Foundation’s work is more than clinical, as it is transformational. By embedding clubfoot detection and care into the broader maternal and newborn health framework, the organization is creating a replicable model for addressing birth defects at the community level. It is also empowering mothers with knowledge and support, ensuring that healthcare begins with compassion, inclusion, and dignity.
“Our work with clubfoot goes beyond treating a physical condition,” says Ojeleye Ojemuyiwa, PLAN Foundation’s Program Manager and the CAST Coordinator on the organization’s MiracleFeet funded club foot treatment early detection, referral, treatment and care project. “It’s about ensuring mothers feel heard, supported, and informed. It’s about giving children a chance at mobility, education, and opportunity—and ultimately, giving families hope.”
A Call for Collective Action
On this World Health Day, PLAN Foundation joins health advocates globally in calling for:
- Increased investments in maternal and newborn healthcare
- Strengthened training for healthcare providers on congenital conditions like clubfoot
- Broader public awareness around early diagnosis and treatment of clubfoot
- Greater collaboration between governments, NGOs, and communities
Together, we can move closer to a world where every mother survives childbirth, and every child—regardless of their birthplace or health condition—is given the chance to thrive.
PLAN Foundation is a member of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), the World Patients Alliance (WPA), the International AIDS Society (IAS), the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), the Stop TB Partnership, the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO), the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (IUATLD), the Global Health Council (GHC), as well as various other relevant regional and global networks, movements, and professional associations aligned with its vision of a Nigeria where the individual, family, and community are adequately empowered to protect themselves against poverty, underdevelopment, and the spread of diseases.
For more details on PLAN Foundation, engage us on our social media accounts on
X (Twitter): @NG_PLAN
Instagram: @PLANFoundationNGO
Facebook: @PLANFoundationng
Use the hashtag #ZeroHIVStigmaDay
Ifedayo Osemwegie,
Advocacy, Strategic Communication and Media Officer,
PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation (PLAN Foundation)
+2348038320421
ifedayo@planfoundation.org.ng
