See our News and Blog pages to keep up-to-date with the latest information. Find out below the context of the situation, our plans and how you can help.
‘I think HHA did a phenomenal job, not only providing basic medical care, but a high level of holistic physio-psycho-social care as well. Their commitment to seeing people reaching their full functional capacity and being integrated back into community life was inspiring.’
Nate Nickerson RN, DrPH, Executive Director, Konbit Sante – In response to HHA’s spinal unit
The Appalling Situation in Haiti
In Haiti 1 in 10 people are disabled, and those with special needs are often treated appallingly. Discrimination against disabled children is common, with many children with physical or mental disabilities permanently left at home and denied the right to integrate into mainstream life. Due to a severe lack of education in the area of disability, many families simply don’t know what’s wrong with their child or how to care for them, sadly resulting in many being abandoned from an early age.
Haiti’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Work reported in 2009 that only 3.9% of an estimated 120,000 children with disabilities in Port au Prince were accessing education. Only two schools specifically addressed this issue and the needs of children with disabilities, both of which tragically collapsed in the earthquake. The situation is the same across the whole of Haiti. Whilst funding has been made available for rehabilitation in Haiti, a vast amount has been directed at specific earthquake victims, often missing the vast numbers of other people with special needs who urgently need our help.
There is a Creole slang word in the Haitian language… ‘ Cocobai’ – which means worthless. It’s the term often used to describe people with disabilities. We have a real heart and passion to see that changed!
What We Are Doing
To find out how we’re tackling this issue please visit some of our Children’s Disability Pages.