Katya’s project, Healing Haiti, focused on improving the quality of life and health for disabled and sick Haitian orphan children residing in Grace Children’s Hospital, located in Port au Prince, Haiti.  Katya worked closely with her church, Trinity United Methodist Church, who graciously sponsored her trip and purchased and then donated the four wheelchairs as a thank you for all of the educational work and dedication on behalf of Haitian orphans that she did.  As a result of all the education she did for our church and community Haitian orphan children received wheelchairs who would otherwise have no mobility.   She also collected vitamins and band-aids which were donated to Grace Children’s Hospital that will greatly improve the children’s general health.

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The enhancement of the quality of life was one of Katya’s points emphasized for the orphans in the Grace Children’s Hospital in Port au Prince Haiti. She ran an educational Haitian Fair that culminated with a Christian Music concert that was attended by the community and church. 

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Disabled orphan children have no hope within the Haitian society.  They have little or no belongings, and they need hope and basic necessities to get through each day.  The wheelchairs she brought to these orphans have already completely changed their lives, and have given them the possibility of leading a more normal life in a third world country.  A small number of disabled children had heavy antique wooden wheelchairs which gave them limited mobility.  The new, lightweight, folding/portable wheelchairs she provided have allowed them to leave the orphanage/hospital for the first time in their lives.   The vitamins and band aids Katya supplied will help to develop their immune systems in an environment with disease and poor health conditions.