Boko in Benin
When her son Boko was born with bilateral clubfoot, Genevieve was not given any explanation about the condition. She hid the deformity from her husband because she was afraid of what his reaction would be.? She only confided in Boko?s two grandmothers who assisted in the deception.
But hiding something like this is not easy and after two months, Boko?s father, Felix, discovered the twisted feet. He immediately confronted Genevieve and the grandmothers stepped up to her defense, explaining that they all believed the deformity would correct itself. Fortunately, Felix did not let things end there. He took Boko to the local health center to see if anything could be done and it referred him to Hope Walks partner clinic in Bethesda where he started treatment immediately.
When their son was born with clubfoot, Genevieve was afraid that her husband would divorce her. She didn?t realize that being untruthful and hiding the condition would cause just as many problems. Parent advisors see relationship issues often, and Hope Walks trains them on how to deal with this. After several home visits, the parent advisor was able to help smooth out the relationship between the parents.?
Fear almost kept Boko from getting the clubfoot treatment he needed. But in the end, the truth did come out and the truth set Boko on a path that would free him and his family from the burden of clubfoot.?
