Three physical therapists from Santa Maria Valley Physical Therapy just returned from a two week trip to Haiti where they volunteered on behalf of Physicians for Peace. Physicians for Peace is an international nonprofit organization where healthcare professionals travel and provide assistance to individuals of undeveloped countries. The organization focuses on providing care for people within undeveloped countries and supplying each country with medical supplies.
Within the two weeks in Haiti, the three therapists were exposed to the country that has yet recovered from last year’s earthquake and the injuries people suffered from due to the incident. The therapists worked in the Hanger Orthopedic Clinic close to the nation’s capital Port-au-Prince. The clinic focuses in prosthetics where they help individuals how to walk and adapt to their new lifestyle. Overall, the trip to Haiti allowed the therapists to work with those who suffered a loss from the earthquake and several individuals with lost limbs from previous accidents.
The therapists of Physicians for Peace assisted and educated Haiti individuals with injuries, provided training for Haitian physical therapists, and donated money to the people of the country. I found this article interesting because three physical therapists dedicated their time to volunteer in a country of need and a place where the setting is completely different from what they were use to. I think the help they provided such as training Haitian physical therapists will improve the people’s health condition and improve many individual’s abilities. If you were to help this organization and give to the people of Haiti, would you prefer to travel and work directly with the people of need? Or would you like to help contribute online?
Without a doubt, I would travel to Haiti. Online contributions would not compare to actually going over there and making a physical appearance to show those people how much you care. It is hard to justify what the people in Haiti went through until you have seen it with you own eyes. As of right now, I feel that the victims of the earthquake need a sense of hope and recognition more than materialistic assistance. Any opportunity to make an impact on such a catastrophic disaster would be the experience of a lifetime, and I would take it in a heartbeat.
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