Following the aftermath of the earthquakes of January 12, 2010, Clowns Without Borders international was approached by many organizations working on relief efforts in Haiti. Payasos Sin Fronteras (CWB-Spain) and Clowns San Frontieres (CWB-Canada) immediately sent groups to Haiti in mid-February. In March CWB USA in collaboration with PSF, Plan International, Handicap International and SOS Villages, sent two teams of artists to the work with children and adults whose lives have been devastated by the earthquakes.
CWB-USA President Tim Cunningham explains more in his letter regarding our efforts in response to the devastating earthquake.
David Lichtenstein, Dave Clay and Leah Abel head to Haiti on Saturday, March 6th! The three volunteer artists are working with SOS Villages and Handicap International through March 18th. They will perform in hospitals, clinics, and in camps for people displaced by the earthquake.
The hospitals are in-patient hospitals, with both adult and pediatric patients. Most of the hospitals are about 80-95% filled with victims of the earthquake, but a few patients may be unrelated to the earthquake. Many patients include amputees, fractures with internal or external fixators, or in traction (bed ridden x 4-6 weeks sometimes), nerve palsies and paralysis, partial paralysis, burn victims, and crush injuries etc. Hospitals range from 35 patients to 200 patients per hospital.
The team will also visit Handicap International’s antenna sites. These are tents set up as a disability focal point for members of the community requiring out-patient care of therapy, basic first aid, or information/referrals regarding disability. They are visited by people who have been sent home from hospitals but still require therapy/care, or people who never went to a hospital in the first place.
French Translation available here, special thank you to Étienne McKenven for translating.
Leah Abel talks about the experience on Here and Now, WBUR, Boston.
This project was in collaboration with SOS and Handicap International.
