The CBC has a wonderful program highlighting Canadians who did not survive the recent Haitian Earthquake. http://www.cbc.ca/news/haiti-legacy/
This is the story of a young survivor, who is also an amputee at 4 years of age. Canadians can certainly feel good about our initial aid immediately after the quake , and the ongoing aid from various NGO's.
Home again
Four-year-old Schneily Similien is back home, living in a tent in the courtyard of the destroyed house where he was hurt in Haiti's devastating earthquake. The magnitude-7 quake sent pieces of a second-floor concrete ceiling crashing down on the child's lower left leg and foot. Nearly four months after losing his leg, he's learning to use an artificial limb and adjusting to a new normal. Here, his mother helps him take a shower with water from a metal can that once held tomatoes.
One of many
Schneily is one of perhaps thousands of amputees who survived the Jan. 12 earthquake. Early estimates put the number of amputees at 4,000 to 6,000, but that number continues to be revised and now stands at about 1,500 to 2,000 confirmed cases, according to Global Relief Technologies, a U.S. firm helping agencies track injury data. The new estimates are lower partly because some amputees may have been counted more than once in the initial chaos and partly because some may have since died from their injuries, experts say. Overall, the earthquake killed 230,000 people, injured more than 300,000 and left nearly 2 million homeless.
Moving forward
Despite the hardship and worry, Schneily and his family are rebounding from the earthquake. The boy is scheduled to return to Deschapelles later this month, where prosthetics experts with Hanger will evaluate his progress. Ian Rawson, managing director of the Hopital Albert Schweitzer, has been in the United States for weeks, trying to raise awareness -- and money -- to help. The Similiens are among many families with overwhelming needs.
The Similien family has managed to salvage a few belongings, such as Schneily's toy guitar and the radio Ducarmel uses to listen to music and news reports. Otherwise, they make do with what's available, including the single bed where all five family members sleep at night.
I cannot help but say what brave people these Haitians are, in the face of that Tragic Earthquake.
Canada and the Global Community pitched in to help and are still working to help Haitians rebuild there lives and indeed their Livelihoods. This little boy and his family are from Leogane, birthplace of our Governor General.
To all our troops, RCMP and Government and non government staffers who have helped in Haitian Relief and continue to help THANK YOU.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
