The organisers of the 5th annual Africa Health Exhibition & Congress, the continent’s largest healthcare exhibition and medical conference, have announced the donation of R252,300.00 that will go towards supporting the treatment of clubfoot in Sub-Saharan Africa. The cheque donation was handed over to the STEPS Charity Southern Africa, a national and regional non-profit organisation and social enterprise working for the alleviation of clubfoot, during the recent event that was held at Gallagher Estate from 5-7 May 2015. 

According to Karen Moss, founder of the not-for-profit STEPS, the donation will go a long way to not only financially support the organisation and its efforts, but also raise awareness around this treatable disability. “We are extremely grateful for the donation and the support shown by Africa Health. This will definitely assist us in our work, particularly in rural areas where it is needed the most.” 

Lisa Stephens, Executive Director of Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions – organisers of Africa Health, says that all conferences were not-for-profit and delegates were charged a nominal fee of R100 ($10 USD) per conference. “All delegate fees that were collected during the event were handed over to STEPS, the official charity of Africa Health 2015 and an organisation dedicated to the alleviation of clubfoot.” 

STEPS core purpose is to eradicate clubfoot as a disability by ensuring that every child born with clubfoot has equal access to the correct and most effective intervention. It was founded in 2005 by Karen Moss, the mother of a child born with clubfoot, to introduce and promote the Ponseti Method of clubfoot treatment in South Africa. STEPS provide valuable information and support to parents, and communities, and train health professionals. The organisation works with clubfoot clinics in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania and the Seychelles, STEPS is a registered NPC and NPO based in Cape Town, South Africa. In addition to this, the organisation has also established STEPS Namibia Clubfoot Programme, a Section 21 company, and STEPS Botswana Trust. 

Africa Health attracted more than 7000 healthcare professionals and played host to more than 500 of the world’s leading healthcare suppliers, manufacturers and service providers. The event is supported by South African Nursing Council (SANC), the Alliance of South African Independent Practitioners (ASAIPA), The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA) and Diabetes South Africa, as well as international healthcare giants such as Maquet, Draeger, GE Healthcare and Stiegelmeyer.