Champs #StepItUp to help fix clubfoot challenge

South African Paralympic gold medallist Mpumelelo Mhlongo has joined forces with Britain’s Got Talent finalist Musa Motha to champion awareness and fundraising efforts for clubfoot treatment.

The duo, both of whom have navigated the challenges of this condition, began the #StepItUp Challenge on TikTok last year to inspire a global movement and raise funds for children affected by clubfoot.

The #StepItUp Challenge is an engaging dance initiative launched in partnership with STEPS, a dedicated non-profit organisation focused on supporting children born with clubfoot. Set against the backdrop of National Disability Rights Awareness Month, which unfolds in November, the challenge aspires to collect more than R300 000 to fund treatments across South Africa.

Children with clubfoot are born with one or both feet twisted inward and pointed downward (unilateral or bilateral), making the foot rigid and unable to return to the correct position. According to studies, southern and east African populations have a higher incidence of this treatable birth defect, affecting about 1 in 500 children, including 2 000 in South Africa.

This year’s challenge centres around the theme “I Am Possible”, a message that resonates with Mhlongo, who was born with clubfoot. The #StepItUp Challenge builds on the overwhelming success of last year’s campaign, which saw the foot-tapping choreography of Mapule Sesedinyana and electrifying beats from Dino Moran, Bee Deejay, and DJ Schuster raise more than R230 000.

Mhlongo and Motha are encouraging people to get involved by joining the #StepItUp dance challenge on TikTok or at an in-person event at Cape Town’s Blue Route Mall on December 7.

Mhlongo said they hoped to attract more support this year to ensure that funds could be distributed to all the clinics around South Africa that were already treating children with clubfoot.

“Although the event will take place in Cape Town, this is a South African challenge and the call for action is for the whole country and hopefully will create enough of a buzz. Every community can only thrive when those who have been successful come back and raise awareness around that community. That is my main driver of why I wake up everyday,” said Mhlongo.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to be a firsthand witness of the phenomenal work STEPS does. It has fundamentally changed my outlook on life. It serves as a reminder of how easily we can beat the odds and empower the children of today to be the future leaders that we need for South Africa to realise its potential,” said Mhlongo.

STEPS was founded by Karen Moss in 2005 after her son was born with the condition.

Moss said they wanted to get a different audience to know that clubfoot is a treatable birth condition that did not have to be a disability.

“Especially in poorer and rural areas where families have fewer resources to access treatment the children are living with unnecessary disability and growing up with limited chances to go to school and access the economy. This can be resolved with treatment.

“I’ve seen far too often how children and adults with clubfoot are shunned by their families and communities, wrongly believing it to be an untreatable disability. At STEPS, we are committed to changing that narrative, educating people that clubfoot doesn’t have to be a lifelong disability if effectively treated.

“The #StepItUp Challenge is more than just a dance; it’s a movement to raise awareness about clubfoot and its solutions and the ‘I Am Possible’ message emphasises that clubfoot should never limit a child’s potential,” said Moss.

She said it cost just R2 500 to support one child over four years of treatment.