Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
MI, Camillians
Port au Prince (Agenzia Fides) – In Haiti people live in huts, half of the population does not have access to drinking water, they do not have enough food and the highest rate of child mortality is recorded. One child out of 10 does not reach five years of age.
After the devastating earthquake that four years ago caused 200,000 deaths, and exactly a year ago, Hurricane Matthew caused thousands of deaths and thousands of displaced people, it is today news that heavy rains are investing the Caribbean island and have already caused the death of five people as well as the flooding of thousands of homes. The situation for the poorest people who have built homes near channels and watercourses is particularly alarming.
Luckily from the island there are also messages of hope like those of the Camillian missionaries who, on behalf of Father Antonio Menegon, MI, for years working on the island, tell us their daily activities mainly aimed at disabled children, the weakest sector of society, increased by 15% due to the earthquake.
"On Wednesday, November 1, 2017, All Saints Day – says Father Antonio we inaugurated a new home for 20 children and teenagers aged from 10 to 20 in our Disabled Center in Haiti. It is a goal that opens the heart towards hope, which makes the lives of these children more dignified and more human, and is also of great help to poor Haitian families who cannot provide adequate assistance to these little ones".
"In addition staff formation courses at the Foyer Saint Camille Center in Port au Prince continue where disabled children from 1 to 10 years of age are taken care of with love and passion every day", continues Father Antonio.
"The operating rooms at Saint Camille Hospital in Port au Prince have increased the number of surgeries, especially for children with hernia problems, malformations, and pathologies that need to be treated surgically.
In Jérémie, in the village of Saint Camille, which houses 30 families, we are finishing the construction of a small school to provide education for 120 elementary school children", concludes the missionary. (AM/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 17/11/2017)
