I just wanted to take the opportunity to share a few things I’ve learnt out of helping to set up a few Club foot clinics here in Sierra Leone
For those who don’t know, a very important step in managing a child with a Club foot is fitting them with special braces…
Now of course when you’re in Africa you don’t have the luxury of pulling a prefabricated brace off the shelf… so we teach the clinicians how to make them from scratch…
This obviously has its fair share of challenges and that’s why I want to share a few tips on how to make these braces... I hope this helps all of those thinking about doing something like this I hope this helps… J
Tip 1. Think outside the box….
If you run out of leather never mind… go get some from your local market….
If you run out of leather never mind… go get some from your local market….
Tip 2. Be flexibleIf the workshop looses power, travel across town in search of someone who has a generator…
Then use your powers of persuasion (i.e. money) to use their generator…
And if that fails, make the best out of a bad situation…
Tip 3. Be willing to learn knew skills
Tip 4. Take control
When treating a child with Club feet make sure you have control at all times.
Tip 5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
When you are very busy remember that it’s ok to ask for an extra hand
Tip 6. Remember that all the hard work is definitely worth it….
Tip 7. After work make sure you have fun with all the locals…
These are just a few things I’ve learnt along the way… I hope this helps…
God is always so good,
even when the power goes out and you run out of materials...
Nick J