Right from its inception in 2009, CURE International India has been adding feathers in their cap. When we ponder on the past, we can easily see the graph of its growth going high. Spreading from 1 state to 27 states, just two states away to mark their presence in all the 29 states of the country. Today CURE has 159 clinics in the government hospitals in 27 states and have enrolled more than 28,000 children all over the country in the Clubfoot Program. It is the consistent effort of the CURE team, the doctors involved and also the cooperation of the parents of the affected children that the Clubfoot Program is reaching heights. Though a lot is yet to achieve but within a span of just 7 years, CURE India is able to reach out many. CURE India takes immense effort to spread awareness through various modes like home visits in remote areas to spread the message about the clubfoot and its treatment, through Anganwadi also known as "courtyard shelter" programs, through Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) programs, social media, mass media, through word by mouth etc. There was a time when the disability of clubfoot came as surprise to people who considered it to be polio and also termed it as “Teda paer” but today people are quite aware of it, especially people from the rural areas.
Earlier children were left untreated due to lack of knowledge, but today due to various initiatives taken by government, and organizations like CURE International India along with support from their partners, parents come forward to treat their children affected with clubfoot.
One biggest example is when a man named Surendra Kumar came with his mother and his one and half year-old baby boy Vineet came to CURE National office, New Delhi on one fine day. They came with the complain that the child has some complications in walking and they fear that it is clubfoot though the kid had a normal feet. The counsellors after checking the kid found that it is clearly not clubfoot and advised them to visit an Orthopaedic specialist for the treatment. This shows that people are knowing about clubfoot and coming forward to get it treated which is an achievement for the Clubfoot Program. Surendra and his mother went home happily with the promise to spread the word to others about the disability of clubfoot and about its treatment and cure. Such small gestures add into the victory of CURE Clubfoot Program which has achieved a lot and which has yet to achieve a lot. They have miles to go!
