Peniel in Burundi
When Peniel was born with clubfoot, his parents immediately recognized the condition because Peniel’s aunt also has clubfoot. However, the family did not know a treatment for clubfoot existed because the aunt’s clubfoot was never treated. When Peniel was born, the nurse never informed his parents that treatment existed. For this reason, Peniel’s parents believed that there was no cure for their son.
Once the news of Peniel having clubfoot spread throughout the community, many people visited their home. People of the community were curious to see the condition in person. Some people began to create rumors as to why Peniel was disabled. Once these rumors started, Peniel’s parents did the only thing they knew to do in this situation: pray.
Peniel’s parents prayed, “God, you alone will know how our child’s feet will be corrected.”
One month after Peniel was born, God answered their prayer. A nurse from their local clinic called the nearest hospital and got information on one of Hope Walks’ partner clinics. After receiving the information, Peniel started treatment for clubfoot.
“We are really thankful because we have seen some adults with untreated clubfoot because they did not get a chance to access treatment, but our son will grow up with normal feet since we were able to find treatment for him,” Peniel’s parents said. “We encourage all the families who have children with clubfoot to come to the clinics for their treatment.”
Before treatment
During casting