Karen Mara Moss

What does your company do?

Steps Clubfoot Care is the only organisation in South Africa dedicated to treating and supporting children born with clubfoot. Clubfoot is a birth condition affecting at least 2,000 babies annually. Without early treatment, clubfoot leads to permanent disability. To address this, we use a sustainable four-pillar model: Pillar 1: Training healthcare professionals Ensures that more children can access high-quality care closer to home, preventing delays in treatment and reducing the burden on families and clinics. Pillar 2: Clinic support Strengthens public health facilities and patient adherence by placing and training clinic coordinators, providing educational materials, patient family support, clinic resources and streamlined processes. Pillar 3: Advocacy Raises clubfoot awareness, reduces stigma, and increases early diagnosis and intervention. Through targeted campaigns, people learn that clubfoot is treatable, leading to higher enrolment in partner clinics. Pillar 4: Clubfoot Braces Distribution of the medical devices essential for maintaining correction and preventing recurrence. The Steps Clubfoot Care programme is sustainable because it is integrated into the existing healthcare infrastructure and addresses barriers to accessing treatment. It reduces healthcare inequity and ensures children born with clubfoot have the chance to walk, learn, and thrive.

What is your biggest success?

My greatest achievement has been transforming a personal challenge into an impact driven organisation that has changed thousands of lives. After my son was born with clubfoot in 2003, I travelled to the USA to access the Ponseti Method, a non-invasive treatment that wasn’t available in South Africa. Inspired by his successful treatment, I founded Steps Clubfoot Care to ensure that other children could benefit from this treatment. Since then, over 20,000 children have accessed effective treatment in South Africa and the Ponseti Method is integrated into South Africa’s medical curriculum. Knowing that so many children have already accessed this life-changing treatment, and that many more will in the years to come, is deeply rewarding. It’s a lasting legacy, not only for me, but in honour of Dr Ponseti and his vision to give every child the chance to walk.

What has been your biggest hurdle?

My biggest hurdle was starting this journey as a mother with no medical background or experience running a non-profit organisation. When my son was born with clubfoot, I wanted to find the best possible treatment for him, but I never imagined that I’d return from the U.S. after meeting Dr Ponseti and seeing firsthand how incredible his method was, and then to become a driving force behind transforming access to clubfoot care in South Africa. I entered a highly specialised medical space, advocating for a treatment that was unfamiliar to most local professionals at the time. Earning trust, building partnerships, and learning how to run an organisation from the ground up, and navigating the public health system was challenging. But it was also the most powerful learning.