The Knights of Columbus Board of Directors approved a resolution this past weekend that would commit the organization to providing aid to every Haitian child who has lost a limb in the January earthquake. The new program- "Hope for Haiti's Children"- will provide prosthetic limbs and therapy over the next two years for the approximately 800 children who have lost an arm or leg in the earthquake.
The physical therapy and two-year treatment will be administered by Medishare, which operates the premier children's medical facility in Haiti, the University of Miami/Medishare hospital in Port au Prince. The estimated cost of all the prosthetic limbs and therapy is $1 million.
Conference participants included the Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson; Prof. Robert Gailey, PhD, PT, director of rehabilitation services for Medishare; Mike Corcoran, chief of prosthetics for Medishare; and Chris Lewis, president of the American Wheelchair Mission.
The Knights of Columbus have shown to have a special interest in the needs of those injured in Haiti providing over 1,000 wheelchairs to injured Haitians in their partnership with Global Wheelchair Mission with 1,000 more slated for delivery over the next few months. Supreme Knight, Anderson, explained that many thousands were seriously injured in the earthquake including hundreds of children, and this is what inspires them to continue creating programs for victims to the earthquake.
"Almost eight months after the devastating earthquake, we must not forget the children of Haiti, who still need our help, and who continue to be so greatly affected by this disaster," says Anderson. "We believe that this program for the injured children of Haiti will not only alleviate their mobility issues in the near term, but also will provide real, concrete hope for their future."
Read more about their initiative and how you can donate.
