With tongue in cheek, one night eating dinner we came up with a list of things Haiti needs. This came in response to hearing the Haiti on Ice had been postponed for the 4th time. Haiti on Ice is an ice skating show with International skaters scheduled to perform in the National Stadium. We wondered what kind of ice they would have that wouldn't melt almost immediately among other thoughts. We added a few other things- a goat cheese factory, a rain garden, more ice cream trucks that actually drove around, and few other absurb, silly things.
Its easy to list such things as infrastructure, electricity, education, improved medical facilities, better roads, more police and fire protection and the big one, housing. For about 300,000 people, this is a big one. Of course all of this is needed but actually all of this is existing to some extent. We've seen most of the streets in Petionville as well as around the city repaved. We seen new solar panel lights installed along the 3 major roads from Petionville to downtown. Police are being trained in many areas and more have been hired. We see more people working though this isn't to say that wages are adequate for people to have even an average standard of living for the majority. We've also seen sidewalks being installed in different areas. or repaired- but still there is no ramped areas for w/chair users. Its more than difficult for people with disability to navigate in Port au Prince.
My friend Fiona is back in Haiti to continue a follow- up research study with people suffering a spinal cord injury 3 years after the earthquake. Here are a few of the stories she has heard this week.
A young woman in her 30's is living in a small cement room with her 2 children- one she was pregnant with when the earthquake struck and the other she shielded with her body for protection. Everyday she goes out to a different neighborhood to beg for money; once she has enough she will go to the street market to purchase food, then return home to prepare food for her children. She is fortunate that she can get people to help her into the taptaps when they stop. and help her out again.
Another woman lives up the side of a mountain in an 8x10 room with her 2 children. Because of the narrow steep walkway, she never leaves her home. She has a brother that occasionally brings her food, she mostly relies on the goodness of neighbors that might give her something for her and her children. Both of these woman live in w/chairs and are independent with there self care.
Another young man, a teacher, lives in a w/chair. He can not teach because he can not stand up to write on the black board. He did not go to a hospital after he was injured in the earthquake. He did not see or get treated by any of the international specialists that were here. Instead, he went to a 'traditional' medicine practitoner - a voudou doctor. At some point, an international therapist working with the community found him. He received a w/chair and had 2 therapy treatments before being "discharged". When Fiona and David found him and began talking to him, asking him his story they discovered that he had no problems that affected his bowel and bladder. He had feeling in his legs and could even move them a bit. Fiona and David looked at each and at this young man and asked him if he could stand. Because we think you can walk. They helped him to stand and in fact he did take several steps. His weakened and bent body would only allow this with much assistance but suddenly he had hope that one day he could teach again. Arrangements were made to get him therapy.
Had he received treatment and therapy three years ago, he would be teaching today.
According to Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury, Prevention, Care and Cure (fsip.org) there are 12,000 new spinal cord injuries each year in the US. In 2008, it was estimated that there were 259,000 survivors of spinal cord injury. Estimated life time costs range from $600,000 to 3 million dollars per person.
In Haiti, before the earthquake, we knew of very few SCI survivors. Minimal to no medical care given, no referrals to rehab. The Haiti SCI Working Group now has over 300 patients listed in their data base to date. The number of survivors from the earthquake at 145.
The medical care from International professionals, education given to caregivers at the centers where these patients ended up and the hope of walking again has led us to these stories and more 3 plus years later.
What does Haiti need?
Imagine what could be done with $600,000?
Someone could have accessible housing. Someone could have a business. Someone would be teaching again. Wouldn't that be something?
