In January, an earthquake spawned thousands of burn cases in a country ill-equipped to handle even 100. Since then, the crowded living conditions and dangerous cooking methods have led to hundreds more children scalded by hot oil or seared by open flames. With such a poor health care system, these children suffer a great deal from even small burns, which could be easily treated with basic supplies and care.
Above and beyond creating a new burn facility, we will establish an actual NETWORK that shares burn care knowledge and resources in a country where there is barely any communication among hospitals.
When medicine and supplies run out at the “For Haiti With Love Burn Clinic”, Haiti’s only free burn clinic, the gates are locked.
The persistent and pervasive homelessness from the earthquake has resulted in an “open fire” country with dangerous cooking methods performed right at a young child’s height. The treacherous coal stoves, known as rechauds, are shown above.
Parents must be taught to keep children away from these stoves. To accomplish this, we are currently preparing a campaign that will teach burn prevention to millions of Haitians through the use of posters and radio ads.
