Stories & Testimonies

As I set out for a couple weeks in Kenya and Uganda I realize it has been 16 months since my last journey to East Africa. Not certain why that is…it’s a long flight, not fond of diarrhea and scabies, I miss my wife too much? Possibly, but most likely it’s the fact that it is easier to avoid the reality of hardship a big chunk of the world struggles with daily. Stuff I take for granted without concern.

From the time of its inception, the Disabilities Ministry of Heaven’s Family has worked diligently to provide medical assistance to disabled men, women and children in some of the world’s most impoverished nations. Many cultures around the world view disabilities as a punishment or a curse and disabled children are often abused and neglected. My heart breaks for them, as I know yours does too.

Did you know that an estimated 800,000 people are currently living with disabilities in Haiti? A community within Port Au Prince, the capital of Haiti, Cite Soleil (meaning city of the sun) is home to many disabled Haitians. The earthquake of 2010 may have long since been forgotten by the media and the rest of the world, but 7 years later Haiti is still picking up the pieces. There continues to be no running water in many areas and sanitation is practically nonexistent as sewage runs freely through the streets. Thousands of homes need to be rebuilt and only 28% of all individuals who were injured during the earthquake received medical treatment.