Haiti Rehabilitation Centre

When the Disability Rehabilitation Unit opened in 2011, in response to the many spinal injuries caused by the 2010 earthquake, it was a pioneering centre for Haiti. Accessing this level of specialised spinal rehabilitation was almost impossible in Haiti. 13 years later, it is still one of the few places where people with spinal injuries can receive rehabilitation. Kendley's story shows how impartant this centre still is.

Kendley is 20 years old, and from Cap Haitien. Two years ago, while walking down a side street near his house one evening, he was hit by a stray bullet. He still doesn’t know where the bullet came from - but it left him paralysed from the waist down.

Following his injury, Kendley spent more than a year searching for a hospital where he could receive treatment. He was turned away from every facility he went to, told that they were not able to offer care for spinal cord injuries (SCIs). He even travelled all the way to the Dominican Republic, but was sent home. 

For over a year, Kendley had no access to care. Without therapy, he could not even sit up, and spent all his time lying down inside his home. He was isolated, lonely, and vulnerable.

In 2022, Kendley heard about our partner hospital, HCBH, and their rehabilitation centre – the only facility offering SCI rehab in the north of the country. It changed everything.

Kendley started physical therapy, and regained the ability to sit up - a huge step. He was given a wheelchair, which provided him with mobility and independence, and started occupational therapy, which taught him how to use his chair and adjust to this new way of living life. He met and spent time with other in-patients with SCIs, and started vocational training, learning how to make shoes in the workshop at the hospital. All of this gave him hope for the future, helping him to see opportunities beyond his injury.

Kendley’s story is a heartbreaking illustration of the reality in Haiti. SCIs are all too common, but specialist care is scarce. Your support enables us to offer dignity, independence and hope to people like Kendley, and for that we could not be more grateful.

Over the last few months, a new garden area has been built behind the Rehabilitation Unit as an accessible space for patients and visiting families to use and enjoy. It's now complete and has been planted up by the resident agronomists (with help form rehab patients of course) with a beautiful combination of plants, fruits and vegetables. The fruit and vegetable beds will help to provide a sutatainable source of food for use at the hospital.

The garden has wheelchair friendly paths and sitting areas, and it a total transformation from what was there before. Check out the photos to see what an amazing job the team have done.

One of the new patients who will benefit from this new garden is Edwige. He was admitted last month following emergency care at other facilities. He was a moto taxi driver but was assaulted and shot. The bullet has given him a serious spinal cord injury and is still in the early stages of treatment and rehabilitation. The outlook for Edwige is still unclear but he is in one of the best places in Haiti for rehab care so has the best chance of recovery. 

Thanks for supporting this pioneering rehabilitation work in Haiti.