Local Efforts Continue in Haiti after Two Years
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Updated: 7:52 PM Jan 12, 2012
Local Efforts Continue in Haiti after Two Years
Winchester
It's been two year's since a massive earthquake ripped through Haiti.
Posted: 6:24 PM Jan 12, 2012
Reporter: Sarah Robarge
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It's been two year's since a massive earthquake ripped through Haiti.

Relief organizations say the quake injured more than 300,000 people and left more than one-million homeless.

Since it happened, local organizations have been helping the Haitians rebuild.

TV3 Winchester spoke folks who are on the ground in Haiti and found out how they're making an impact.

It's the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude quake that rocked a whole third of the country. Since January 2010, relief organizations across the US have had a heavy presence there, including one right in your community.

"There's a shift from the transitional to the permanent," says Donald Stevens, President of Shelter 2 Home.

Stevens is on the ground in Haiti for the 26th time. He and his crews from Shelter 2 Home, which is based in Winchester, have completed 11 different projects, from rebuilding entire neighborhoods of 50 houses to building 12-room schools.

"We weren't asked to do anything for emergency shelters. People were asking us to go straight to permanent construction," he adds.

Stevens says Shelter 2 Home, is not just putting roofs over their heads but also providing jobs.

"There is a young man from the orphanage who started with our company on day one. He is now my senior project manager and runs a crew of 64 men," Stevens adds.

Jason Friesen is also in Haiti working with local non-profit, Project Hope and responding to another part of the quake's aftermath, injuries and disease.

"We've seen over 4,000 patients in less than a year," he says.

One of Project Hope's impacts is a free rehab center where they provide prosthetic limbs and physical therapy to those injured.

Friesen says they're also treating chronic health problems like arthritis and even basic ones that there just wasn't care for before.

"We're training doctors and nurses in basic first aid and transportation. Build up and strengthen the health system so the Haitians have the capacity to carry it on themselves," he adds.

"The big fear here is that people will forget about Haiti and this is the time we need to focus on Haiti because Haiti has started to turned the corner," Steven adds.

Project Hope leaders say, their partnership with the people in Haiti has been so good that the hospital in Haiti will start running the rehab center on its own soon.

© Copyright 2012 TV3 Winchester / Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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