The project is operating on the grounds of the Hopital Adventiste d'Haiti in Port-au-Prince and have provided free mobility devices to over 860 people since 2010, after the disastrous earthquake. About half of people who benefit from the project are children under 12 years of age. The project is also training 4 Haitians to become prosthetic and orthotic expert technicians to make sure that people with disabilities in Haiti receive service in the future, after WRF's project is over .
The disastrous earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010. It is estimated that some 3 million people were affected, including approximately 23,000 deaths and at least 300,000 people with injuries. Many of those injured have suffered amputations and other severe injuries to their arms and legs. Haitians with disabilities, especially women and children, are often the poorest and most marginalized of all. For them, mobility is the first step to integration. WRF is helping them make that first step.
The project provides materials and components to make individually customized orthotic and prosthetic devices for arms and legs. The patients are diagnosed, their limbs measured, fit and if necessary adjusted for better comfort. WRF aims to fit and provide mobility devices to at least 200 people a year. Devices range from those correcting foot alignment to the more complicated ankle and knee or wrist devices to artificial limbs for below the knee and above the knee, as well as arm prostheses.
In addition to giving people with disabilities a chance to be mobile and take more active part in their communities, provide for their families, children to be active and do sports; the project also will leave its legacy with those Haitians that are trained to be experts to continue serving people with disabilities in the future. The project is turning disability into possibility of better life not only for individuals, but also their families and country, by giving hope and a chance to thrive.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
