Remembering the Haiti earthquake victims, Jan 12 2010.
Give Monthly
From the 24-hour care of our Spinal Cord Injury patients to the continual distribution of aid, your intervention is necessary to keep this work going. Join us and give monthly.
Fundraise
Fundraising couldn't be easier with JustGiving. Simply set up a page, share it with your friends and let the donations roll in. Create your page now!
Get the Wristband
A £2 donation will include a wristband for you and a wristband for a Haitian. A Haitian that will know they are not alone, but have a reminder that you remember them. Get me some wristbands!
One Year On
One year on since the earthquake we continue to call our supporters to not forget the people of Haiti. The anniversary itself; a day that brings a mixture of emotions to the people; remembering lives lost, homes destroyed, businesses gone and many lives changed forever, will be solemn. But it remains just one day, amidst a future that for many remains unknown.
One year on there is hope for many that Haiti can overcome the ongoing struggles life brings. But a cloud of darkness remains over the nation with over a million people still living in tents, the ongoing presidential elections and the cholera outbreak. But out of that darkness there are stories of hope. Stories that can become a beacon of light at this time. Stories like that of Leon.
Leon's account of January 12
I was at home eating at the dinner table when the earth shook, when I stood up, I fell down. My family were watching television and I could see the wall split into two parts. I tried to get outside but the butt of the door fell from the ceiling on top of my waist. I lost my mind and knowledge. It was only after 3 days that I recognised myself and called someone. I said, "I am alive, come and get me out.
A neighbour was trying to lift up the wall and in doing so I was pierced through my heel by some iron. When I was pulled out I lost my mind once again and awoke in Santiago General Hospital in the Dominican Republic. I was then moved into a hospital on the border in Quanamithe. It was there I was told that my wife and eight children had all died in the earthquake.
I was again transferred to another hospital, the government hospital in Cap-Haitian. I then spent all my money trying to get better. I just wanted to go home.
I didn't think I would survive, even my cousin who found me didn't think it possible. Maybe it would have been possible to still live but without being transferred to the spinal unit here run by the Haiti Hospital Appeal I would be far more severely disabled.
The spinal unit has become a home for me. Here I have learnt to walk again and do other activities. I've come to the conclusion that this is the is the best hospital I have ever visited. If I were elsewhere I don't think they could have cared for me, not with my injuries. I never seen nurses or doctors caring so much.
When I think about my wife and children I always shed tears but I refuse to get discouraged, I keep on fighting. I think about my future, I'd like to go home, I'd like to get a job. I'd like to have my own house and work in an place just like this."
Leon wasn't expected to survive let alone walk again. He is a miracle amongst a lot of sadness. He is someone that mourns January 12 but looks to the future. He won't forget and it is because of people like him that we won't either.
When the Apostle Paul left Jerusalem to take the message of Christ Jesus to the world, the other apostles made just one request, "continue to remember the poor". Paul's response was that that was the one thing he was eager to do (Galatians 2:10).
We are eager for you to do the same. Remember the poor.
And turn the sentiment into action. We won't forget.
Port-au-Prince Then and Now
Days after the earthquake I entered into the heart of Port-au-Prince. The lingering mist and smell from the mass graves passed across the outskirts of this corpse like city. Bodies lay decomposing under the scorching sun, while new homes made from plastic sheeting appeared in every spare space available. A desperate and harrowing silence numbed the city.
In the following few months the world's attention was focused on this desperate little nation. The world's famous wrote songs, schools put on concerts and churches held prayer meetings. Individuals gave in an incredibly humbling way. Port-au-Prince became the focus of many leading NGOs, and there was a remarkable increase in foreign volunteers - the worlds response was in motion.
Six months on, and much of this desperate city hasn't changed. Buildings still lay in ruins; tent cities still use every space available, and families still watch the world pass by. There is one huge difference though:
There are far fewer foreign aid workers. There are no journalists. Major aid organisations have already started pulling out and for others the funding has dried up.
Carwyn Hill, Co-Founder - Haiti Hospital Appeal
Check out our latest News and Blog posts for more information a year after the earthquake.
Visit our Earthquake Response page to read more about the impact we have been making in the last 12 months.
Give Monthly
From the 24-hour care of our Spinal Cord Injury patients to the continual distribution of aid, your intervention is necessary to keep this work going. Join us and give monthly.
Fundraise
Fundraising couldn't be easier with JustGiving. Simply set up a page, share it with your friends and let the donations roll in. Create your page now!
Get the Wristband
A £2 donation will include a wristband for you and a wristband for a Haitian. A Haitian that will know they are not alone, but have a reminder that you remember them. Get me some wristbands!