CHANGING PLACES
Francesca ‘Chesca’ Colloredo-Mansfeld ’ 87
Organization: Miraclefeet,
www.miraclefeet.org.
What it does: Partners
with local doctors to establish
sustainable clubfoot clinics in
Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua and
India.
Founded: 2010
Where: Based in Carrboro.
Participation: Four staff
members; 350 children served,
1,500 expected to be served
by year’s end.
Annual budget: $900,000
Motivation: “Nobody has
gone after this issue because,
until recently, it was treated
with major surgery. Surgery
is very expensive and not very
effective, so most people just
live with untreated clubfoot in
developing countries. This
means they’re crippled and can
only walk with great difficulty
and a lot of pain. Now you can
treat clubfoot with casting and bracing, which you can do anywhere. You just need a table and a trained doctor.”
Carolina connection: “The Campus Y was a very important
part of my life at Carolina, and it convinced me that you can
make a difference. I created the South Africa Scholarship Fund,
which still exists today. … It is possible to make a difference and
have an impact on the world, even if it seems overwhelming.
You just have to do it.”
Advice to others: “Take advantage of opportunities as they
arise, even if they take you away from the path you thought you
were going down. It is the unexpected that adds to the richness
of an interesting life and, in the end, gives you the skills and networks you can leverage to make a difference.”
— Lucy Hood ’ 83
Francesca “Chesca” Colloredo-Mansfeld ’ 87 in her Carrboro office.
‘When children can’t walk in developing
countries, they don’t go to school. They can’t
get there, and there’s no one to help them
get around when they’re in school.
They’re isolated in their homes,
often abandoned, subjected to terrible
sexual and physical abuse and generally
live a life of extreme poverty. You’re not
just treating clubfoot.You’re changing a life
that is only going to go downhill and
