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[Background hospital sounds, including heart monitor]
Th is is the goodest thing that ever happened for Haiti right now
CBM that came in Haiti
because at first it was a really big issue about people having therapy.
It was only like rich people used to have therapy in Haiti.
Well since CBM came in Haiti
everybody is having therapy -
the poor ones, the rich ones, everybody, for free.
For me this is the goodest thing that could ever happen for Haiti right now.
CBM is working with rehab techs
because this country so far, the
understanding of therapy is very small.
So having them, essentially, run the therapy service
will show to the nursing staff and to the medical staff
the importance of therapy.
After the earthquake, CBM realised that there were a lot of gaps in the services
here, in Haiti.
particularly to do with people with disabilities
in and around areas of rehabilitation
accessibility, advocacy, those kind of things.
So that is why we are here now.
The clubfoot programme
is a programme for children who were born with problems with their feet
which first of all need to be identified.
And in the rehab techs have done their training course whereby
they can identify what the problem is
and then some of the rehab techs have gone on to learn how to
address that problem by casting on a regular basis,
approximately three months, by which time
the problem with the foot has been largely addressed
then usually there is a small surgery and then the child
will use braces for about the next five years
and after that they should be able to walk fairly normally
and live a normal life.
After the earthquake obviously there were many people with spinal-cord injuries
and there was virtually no service for them throughout Haiti.
CBM are working with some acute
spinal Cord injury patients
but when they are in hospital at the early stages they still
need looking after, they need their wounds healing
and they need basic therapy
ready for discharge out to
a rehab centre.
It's been challenging
but it's also been very rewarding
particularly working with the local guys.
It's the Haitians themselves who are doing and treating and
working with and alongside their local communities
and they are helping build the communities back up again
both post-earthquake and
the view of the development side of things as well -
it is they who are doing it.