Helping children in Haiti, one year after the earthquake

By

January 14, 2011

A year ago this week, Haiti was hit by an earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people, injured thousands of others and left more than a million and a half homeless. A year later, there is still rubble in the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, and more than a million people remain homeless.

Warning: Some of the images in this film are graphic and may be difficult to watch.

But there are hopeful stories  to tell. After the quake, one of the many humanitarian groups participating in recovery efforts was Boston-based Partners in Health. They have helped tens of thousands of children in Haiti. Here is the story of two of those children.

More on Haiti

Produced by video journalists Brent and Craig Renaud for The New York Times, the children in the story  you are about to see  were flown to Boston by Partners in Health for surgery, physical therapy and, over time, recovery.

Related:

From filmmaker Brent Renaud: Survival is just the beginning for the injured

Last modified: January 14, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,
 

Comments

  • Liz

    I would love to sponsor the little boy and his family to stay here in the states. Can anything be done??

  • Senior Producer

    Hi Liz,
    So nice that you would like to help. I’m not sure what can be done but you could contact Partners in Health, the organization that brought them to Boston for treatment:

    http://www.pih.org/content/main/

    Thanks for watching.
    Brenda Breslauer – Senior Producer

  • Carriep

    How can we help the two Haiitian children in your show?

  • Shimke Levine

    I would not favor picking out a few photogenic cases and bringing them to the States, separating them from their home, their family and their culture. Rather, I would like to find a way to contribute so that the facilities in Haiti itself can treat the many children like them more effectively. This would be an on-going solution, maybe not as dramatic as adopting a single child or two, but reaching into the lives of thousands. Where could I best direct my (small) contribution so that it goes for medical supplies and psychological support, without passing through the sieve of layers of politicians, bureaucrats and ong workers, each skimming his or part of the top. They do need to live and eat also, but I want this contribution to go, at least for 85-90% of it, directly to purchasing supplies that will be used for free on needy victims (and not sold on the black market by someone with connections in the charity business). Or am I too cynical? Please supply at least one or two trustworthy addresses.

  • Shelley Lewis

    Besides the organization featured in the segment, Partners in Health http://www.pih.org/content/main/, there are many other organizations that have been helping quake victims in Haiti. To name just a few trustworthy ones: the International Rescue Committee (http://www.rescue.org/) and Doctors Without Borders (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/). As far as knowing whether the funds you send will really get to those who need them, you can check out charitynavigator.org, which is a website that evaluates hundreds of charities and ranks them based on efficiency, overhead, etc. Thanks for your interest.

    Executive Producer, Need to Know

  • shimke

    Thanks for taking the time to write such a full answer. It is appreciated. I shall decide among hte three you mention.

  • http://twitter.com/PIH Partners In Health

    We’re so grateful for the people who have contacted us to join in supporting Dave, Gedline, and the other patients in our Right to Health Care program. If you’re interested in helping out, please email info@pih.org with the subject line: “Right to Health Care.” And our staff will be in touch with you. Thanks!