Joshua hasn’t always had this much attention. He was found after the earthquake hit by some rescue workers who were searching through the rubble for survivors. Joshua was significantly dehydrated, malnourished and bleeding profusely from deep lacerations to his arm. In the aftermath of the biggest earthquake to strike Haiti in more than a century, he had been left alone to fend for himself in the dust and rubble.
Somewhere between eight and ten years old (no one is sure), Joshua is non-verbal and struggles from the debilitating effects of Cerebral Palsy. He has clearly never received treatment for the disorder, which has especially stunted in his development. Yet when you look at him, Joshua stares right back into your eyes, offering facial expressions and hand gestures that tell you he understands much more about what is happening than he can convey.
Some weeks after abandoning him in the quake’s aftermath, Joshua’s mother learned of his new home at CDTI. She has dropped by a couple times since the quake to try and remove him from the hospital before his wound treatment has been completed. Joshua’s mother uses him to make a living, dragging him with her on the streets as a token of helplessness to use to beg for money. To her, she once told the hospital staff, he is nothing more than a dog.
US President Barack Obama has warned of a second disaster in Haiti, saying people should be under no illusion that the crisis there is over.
Update March 10th, 2010 Haiti Relief efforts
Take a drive around Port-au-Prince…
“…but long-term care isn’t even on the horizon.” –Associated Press
Haiti Relief efforts
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
IPS
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