FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Blantyre, Malawi – On 21^st October 2011, the Beit CURE International Hospital will host a football match in which every single player on the pitch is a child who been cured of clubfoot, thanks to the Malawi National Clubfoot Programme (MNCP). The match will start at 8 a.m. at the Blantyre College of Medicine Sports Ground.

The two teams of players will meet in front of an audience of hospital staff, supporters of the MNCP and CURE International, representatives from the Malawi National Football Team, and the national press. Following the match there will be a presentation of certificates and prizes to the players, as well as photo opportunities for the press.

This football match is an international first of its kind. It is primarily a celebration of the work the MNCP has done in conjunction with CURE International and the Ministry of Health. Since its foundation in 2007, almost 4,000 children have been cured and can now lead normal lives, free from the struggles of such a disability and its associated social exclusion. The small act of kicking a football, one that is enjoyed but taken for granted by children all over the world, is a miracle and a reason to be thankful for these children.

Executive Director of the hospital, Stuart Palmer, said, “This children’s football match epitomises the work of CURE in Malawi. It demonstrates the complete transformation of young lives, previously blighted by an easily curable physical disability and very painful social stigma. And who knows, some of these children may go on to be international football players – after all, Steven Gerrard was born with the same condition.”

The match aims to celebrate the invaluable work carried out by the MNCP, CURE International, and the Ministry of Health in changing these children’s lives, and ultimately to raise awareness and funds. To hear more about the work of CURE Malawi or to get involved or donate, please visit www.curehospital.mw.

About Malawi National Clubfoot Programme – the MNCP was launched in 2007. Its mission is to ensure that all children born with clubfoot in Malawi are treated appropriately using the Ponseti Method (of manipulation casting). It thereby seeks to eradicate cases of untreated clubfoot within 10 years, and is the largest programme of its type in the world.

About Beit CURE International Hosptial – the Beit CURE International Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, is a 72-bed teaching hospital that specializes in treating the orthopaedic needs of children and adults. The facility was opened in 2002 and serves children with physical disabilities regardless of their ethnic background, religious affiliation, or ability to pay. For more information, visit www.curehospital.mw or cure.org/hospitals/Malawi

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For further information, inquiries, or resources such as photographs, please contact Georgiana Haig at +265 (0) 994 651 412 or email georgiana.haig@cureinternational.org