History

In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the UK charity a UK charity opened one of Haiti’s first Spinal Chord Injury (SCI) units, caring for some of the most severely injured patients who had suffered forms of paralysis.

Despite some specialists believing about 50% of their patients would die due to the extent of their injuries, 24 of their original 25 SCI patients have been successfully rehabilitated.

A TALE OF COURAGE:

One of the main athletes ‘The Dream’ has been working with is Paralympic hopeful, Jean. Jean was at home with his family when the earthquake struck on January 12th 2010. As he tried to escape his home, rubble fell on Jean, causing a serious spinal cord injury (SCI). In the weeks that followed, Jean was informed that not only would he never walk again, but that his wife and 8 children had tragically died in the earthquake.

SCI rehabilitation had never been done before in Haiti, and many thought people with SCI from the earthquake had little or no chance of survival. However, in response to the crisis, the founding charity opened Haiti’s first SCI Unit and received 25 patients – one of who was Jean. Despite limited resources, the patients overcame seemingly impossible emotional and physical odds, courageously carrying each other through the months that followed.

The the founding charity in partnership with An international spinal-injury foundation soon introduced sport, as a rehabilitation tool for personal development. Jean found the activities to be a particularly powerful tool in helping him deal with his tragic loss and his hunger to show Haiti what people with disabilities can achieve, Jean has worked tirelessly training as a handcyclist, subsequently becoming Haiti’s most promising para-cyclist

In November 2011, Jean became the first Haitian handcyclist to compete on the international stage, at the Guadalajara Parapan Games with NPC Haiti, in the hope he may highlight his ability. However, 8 weeks before the games commenced, Jean broke his hip. Due to the lack of immediate accessible specialist care, he only received the appropriate hip replacement 4 weeks before travelling to Mexico. Whilst many would have given up, Jean still went to Mexico and proudly represented his country

Looking forward

The widespread devastation of the earthquake has caused Haiti a significant set back in all aspects of life, including the development of sport. Not only did the disaster prohibit Haiti’s immediate sporting capacity, loosing over 60 national sports men and women, but it has also weakened the nations long-term infrastructure dramatically, further exasperated by the 2010/2011 cholera epidemic and fragile political situation.

Whilst we believe Haiti’s past has severely hampered Haiti’s opportunities for London 2012, the main reason we have formed ‘The Dream’, is looking forward to Haiti’s future. Jean has been a key participant in ‘The Dream’ campaign, in support of the Haitian NPC. He has taken it upon himself to use his story as a tool to inspire, challenge and transform Haiti and the international community.

A lasting legacy

In partnership with the United Nation’s Community Violence Reduction team, Jean’s passion has been a key component in the securing of funding for the construction of a disability sports centre in North Haiti, which will develop grass roots sport, competitive training facilities and community integration. This will be completed in June 2012 and leave a lasting legacy in Haiti, in honour of the London 2012 Games.

“The United Nation’s Community Violence Reduction team have formally collaborated with the founding charity in North Haiti (founding NGO of ‘The Dream’), to leave a long term legacy for disability sport for 2012, through the construction of a disability sports facility. Inspired by the commitment and dedication of their team, and particularly Jean, we have used his passion and dedication, for the advancement of disability sport as a means to challenge the Northern population. His story has been a key component in this vision becoming a reality, providing hope, courage and vision for many people in Cap-Haitien, seeking to eradicate the social stigma of disability.”

the Chief of the North Haiti UN Community Violence Reduction Team