The Forgotten Children of Haiti

Anthony Karen writes:

This group of images where taken in Haiti on the back end of a medical mission I was on with Surgical Volunteers International, sponsored in part by Smile Train. I’m a freelance photojournalist based in New York and the majority of my professional career has been spent documenting several long term stories–including Haitian Vodou and the Ku Klux Klan. I’ve had the good fortune of spending some time at the Hopital of Espoir (Hospital of Hope) a few years ago and was deeply touched. I felt compelled to return in the hopes of raising awareness for an ever growing situation in Haiti regarding it’s mentally challenged orphans. There are many outstanding facilities caring for these children, but they often fall under the radar when it comes to mainstream attention.

Each year, five to ten percent of the newborn children in Haiti are born with a serious mental or physical handicap. Many of these disabled newborns are abandoned and sent to private orphanages because state hospitals don't have the resources to care for them. There are virtually no government or social rehabilitation services for the disabled in rural Haiti. Unfortunately, disabilities are often perceived as spiritual in nature, not medical, and caused by a curse or bad behavior. Therefore, special-needs children are often isolated or ostracized. Disabled children are far more likely to die before age five due to a lack of medical care. According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 50,000 children in orphanages throughout Haiti.

To learn more about Anthony and his work you can go to his website at: http://www.anthonykaren.com.