Posted by : Lizzie on 02/03/2010 at 12:20

As our House of Blessings is based in Cap-Haïtien, they thankfully escaped the worst damage of the earthquake. But the devastation of Port-au-Prince has had far-reaching consequences.

Many of the staff at House of Blessings have welcomed their relatives fleeing the rubble-filled Port-au-Prince, as most also mourn the loss of family members killed in the quake. Further aftershocks combined with the heavy rains caused a landslide in Cap-Haïtien, killing four children in a local primary school. One of those children was sadly the eight year old daughter of Dr Toussaint, our partners medical director. Although so many staff have been badly shaken by the events of the last two months, they have more than proved their dedication to the children at House of Blessings by their commitment to continue coming into work every day.

Less than a year after opening our House of Blessings, we are already supporting 55 disabled children and reaching out to their families to help them take care of their children. We have also taken in three children who have been left disabled since the earthquake. Here is Reginas story:

"Regina is 3 years old. Everything she had ever known was destroyed in the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Her home is now a pile of rubble, her mother was found dead under the broken bed. One of many orphans now in Port-au-Prince, Regina was lucky enough to have other relatives to take care of her. They took her from Port-au-Prince and travelled up to Cap-Haïtien to beg for help from the local church. Thankfully, through the work we have been doing with the local churches, the pastor there noticed that Regina was disabled and knew to refer her to our House of Blessings.

"The pastor is now working with the family to support Regina. She comes to our House of Blessings three days a week for physiotherapy and other support. Containers from the UK should be arriving shortly with much needed supplies which can be given to help Reginas family."

Regina is sadly only one child amongst the many who have been devastated by the earthquake. Although Haiti has faded from the news stories, please do not forget how much these children need your continued support.