MiracleFeet aims to eliminate a leading cause of physical disability worldwide: clubfoot. MiracleFeet expands access to quality treatment for children born with clubfoot through partnerships with local healthcare providers in 29 low- and middle-income countries. The non-profit organization brings the low-cost, non-surgical standard of care – provided in advanced health systems – to low-income countries. MiracleFeet trains new providers in basic and advanced skills and develops regional teams of qualified trainers who can build workforce capacity in their own countries: an approach that reduces costs and increases sustainable access to treatment.
Daphne de Souza Lima Sorensen has 20 years’ experience in international development, social justice and child and human rights, leading teams across Latin America and Africa. She oversees global operations and staff, adding strategic leadership capacity to MiracleFeet’s growing team and impact. Daphne joined MiracleFeet from the Lumos Foundation, where she served as regional director for Latin America & Caribbean programs. For more than a decade prior, she held leadership roles at Save the Children—as country director in Bolivia and provincial program manager in Mozambique—and CARE as program coordinator in Brazil. She has also lived and worked in Uganda, Angola, Guatemala, Panama, and El Salvador. Born in Brazil, Daphne grew up in Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and United States and is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. She earned her master’s degree in Leadership from Duquesne University and bachelor’s in International Studies and Development and Economics from American University.
As Technical Director, Anna provides guidance on the core clinical, medical, and service delivery elements of MiracleFeet’s program activities and serve as the technical lead on the USAID ReLAB-HS project. Anna joins MiracleFeet with fifteen years of experience in the international development and NGO sector where she has developed communications, strategic planning, project management, training, partnership development and grant writing skills. Anna is an experienced healthcare professional (occupational therapist) with a history of working to increase access to clubfoot treatment. She was the first Africa regional director for Cure Clubfoot Worldwide. Anna is from Australia and lives with her family in Kenya.
Debra joins MiracleFeet with over ten years experience treating clubfoot and providing technical assistance to clubfoot providers and programs. She is a physiotherapist based in Harare, Zimbabwe where she worked as the clinical manager for the Zimbabwe Sustainable Clubfoot Program since 2013 training, supervising, and mentoring health workers at clubfoot clinics around the country. Debra studied rehabilitation and physiotherapy at the University of Zimbabwe and has practiced for 15 years, including several years for the Ministry of Health treating a range of musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, and disabilities in government hospitals, before becoming the clinical manager for the national clubfoot program. Additionally, she hold a Master’s in Physiotherapy from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Debra is also a clinical instructor at the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Department. Her passion is restoring mobility and ensuring people enjoy their maximum physical potential and quality of life.
Emmanuel Otoo joins MiracleFeet with 15+ years of international experience in community-driven and power-shifting social justice issues. He is passionate about using integrated grassroots solutions to dismantle the drivers of injustices and inequalities.
Emmanuel has served as Interim Executive Vice President at The Global Fund for Children (GFC), where he facilitated strategic thinking and supported programmatic and organizational advancement initiative, and managed strategic relationships. Simultaneously, he held the position of Regional Program Director for Africa & the Middle East and was responsible for a portfolio of 60+ organizations in 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. His most recent role was Program Officer for the International Children’s Education Program at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund where he facilitated community-led efforts in achieving inclusive quality education for marginalized children.
Prior to his work at GFC, Emmanuel was the West Africa Regional Director for Free the Slaves. He has acquired substantial field experience while working with the United Nations Development Program in their Ghana Field Office and with the International Labor Organization/ International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO/IPEC)’s Ghana office. He has also served as a facilitator of community engagements and a catalyst for equity and growth working with various organizations such as Plan International. Emmanuel received his BA in Sociology, Executive MBA in Project Management, and his MA in Social work all from the University of Ghana.
Faisal is a public health professional with more than 7 years of experience in disease prevention, health promotion, and management of public health programs. Before joining Miraclefeet, he was a consultant with National Emergency Operations Centre for polio eradication in Pakistan and he also served as a training consultant with the Government of Punjab, training district health managers of 36 districts on intervention packages related to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. In recognition of Faisal’s advocacy efforts, he was honored by Punjab’s Provincial Government and nominated twice to represent his country in Challenge: Future Summits in Slovenia in 2012 & 2013. Faisal is a pharmacist by training and completed his MS in Public Health from Health Services Academy, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad. He is based in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Geoffrey is based in Uganda and manages MiracleFeet’s East Africa portfolio including leading the strategic facilitation, development, and implementation of locally-driven initiatives aimed at early detections and referrals, supporting the integration of clubfoot into national health systems, and supporting timely and quality treatment of clubfoot in the region. Geoffrey brings 12+ years of multi-cultural and international experience in program design and management to this role. His passion for advancing child-oriented initiatives motivated him to contribute to the efforts of international organizations such as the Light for the World International and Mott Macdonald Ltd. Geoffrey holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a postgraduate diploma in project management.
Madison has worked in social innovation and international development for over five years. Before joining MiracleFeet, he served as Program Coordinator for the Duke-UNICEF Innovation Accelerator, a program that identifies and scales social enterprises in Africa. Madison also has experience with USAID-funded global health projects from his time with the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Madison is passionate about leveraging social innovation to give every child a fair chance. He has a BA in Economics from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he graduated as a Buckley Public Service Scholar. Madison spends most of his free time hiking with his wife and his dog and playing tennis.
Nola is an accomplished and versatile writer with a knack for producing compelling content. Working in global health non-profit communications for ever a decade, she is a great story teller and a talented project, campaign, and team manager. Before joining MiracleFeet, Nola worked at IntraHealth International leading fundraising communications and producing SwitchPoint, an annual conference of leading thinkers and doers at the intersection of global health, development, technology, and art. Nola is a force of creativity with a knack for seeing and sparking meaningful connections between people and causes. She has a Master’s in English and an undergraduate degree in studio art.
Dr. Oussama Zekri is MiracleFeet’s Senior Program Field Officer, Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Dr. Zekri is a young professional and Fulbright Alumnus with a passion for African affairs, international development, and public health issues. He has a track record of professional field experience in both developed and developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining MiracleFeet, he was a Senior Project Analyst at Dimagi Inc. for their West Africa business unit, based in Dakar Senegal. Dr. Zekri is from Tunisia, grew up in the Chad Republic, lived in Dakar, Senegal and had the opportunity to work in the region in countries such as Burkina Faso, Benin, Madagascar, and others on top of his extensive travels in many other African countries. Dr. Zekri has a DMD from the University of Monastir, Tunisia and an MHA (concentration in Health Services Policy and Management) from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He will be based in Rabat, Morocco.
Dr. Salimah Walani is MiracleFeet’s Global Policy & Advocacy Advisor. A leader in maternal and newborn health, especially birth defects, Salimah is well positioned to lead MiracleFeet’s global advocacy for clubfoot treatment.
Before joining MiracleFeet, Salimah was Vice President for Global Programs at March of Dimes where she focused on prevention of birth defects and prematurity in low- and middle-income countries, and she served as March of Dimes’ global spokesperson with the World Health Organization and other UN agencies, governmental, non-governmental and civil society organizations, as well as the organization’s partners in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Salimah holds a PhD from New York University, a Masters of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health, and a Master’s of Nursing from Simmons College in Boston. Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, Salimah studied and taught at the Aga Khan University before migrating to the United States.
Stella has 25 years of experience in the provision of technical assistance and program management working with governments and non-governmental organizations at regional, national, and subnational levels in East, South, and West Africa. She holds a Master of Philosophy in HIV/AIDS management from Stellenbosch University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Development Studies from the University of Pretoria. Stella brings several years of experience engaging with diverse teams at country and multi-country levels, in key health-related interventions including Adolescent sexual and reproductive health, HIV and TB prevention, and care and support programs. She has established and strengthened diverse strategic partnerships and collaborations at the community, district, and national levels. Prior to joining, Miracle Feet, Stella served in high-level leadership positions as TB/HIV Technical Advisor with Partners in Health in Sierra Leone and Deputy Chief of Party at Management Sciences for Health in Kampala, Uganda.