Bullets were flying everywhere
My name is Wadson Augustin, I am 34 years old. I used to live in the Solino neighbourhood with my 16-year-old son, Walgens. Solino was always a quiet and welcoming neighbourhood; we knew our neighbours and we organised big parties together which all the young people in the neighbourhood attended.
Then tragedy struck: bullets were flying everywhere, and we didn’t know who was shooting. We couldn’t stay in those conditions; everyone had to leave. I was still standing outside my house when a stray bullet hit me in the leg. My family couldn’t afford medical treatment and the wound became infected, forcing the surgeons to amputate my leg.
Life in a displacement camp is difficult for a person with a disability
I arrived at the displacement site in November 2025. My life here is very difficult. As I have a disability, I cannot work; sometimes, certain people choose to humiliate me.
It is very difficult to get food at the camp. There is a lot of pushing and shoving and chaos; imagine what it’s like for me, as I cannot walk or stand on my own; during food distributions, my bowl sometimes breaks, and sometimes I receive nothing to eat. There have been times when I’ve had to resign myself not to eat for more than a day.
After my amputation, I managed to get hold of a crutch, but it broke shortly after I arrived at the site. I could no longer walk, I couldn’t get around… but I couldn’t afford to buy a new one.
Feeling listened to and understood
HI teams regularly visit the site where displaced people are staying, and that’s how we met and how they started supporting me. They always make a point of taking people with disabilities into account, listening to them and valuing them; for me, that has made a huge difference.
I was given a new crutch and shown how to use it. There’s a proper way to use it so you don’t fall over, and I didn’t know that. Before, I used to slip and fall, but now I know what precautions to take. I’ve started walking again and I’m very proud of that.
I’d never had any rehabilitation before: it was HI who taught me what it meant and the benefits it would bring. We did exercises together and that helped me walk more easily and without pain.
I’m very grateful to the physiotherapists and occupational therapists at HI, who have always supported me emotionally and taken my situation into account. With them, I’ve always felt listened to and understood; I hope they’ll continue to help me.
Dreaming of building a future for my child
My son was going to school, but lessons were moved because of the clashes. As I could no longer afford to look after him, I entrusted him to his godmother, who is a shopkeeper. They both live in another site for displaced people, the local Fusion site, where she was able to re-enrol him at school. She is looking after him for the time being, but as soon as I receive a little money, I give it to her to help out, until we can be reunited again.
I pray that God will always protect us, that I will always have the means to build a future for my son, and that he will keep hope alive. I want him to receive an education and to live like any other person in society.
The Post-Traumatic Rehabilitation Emergency (URPOST) project is being implemented at five sites for displaced people in Port-au-Prince. Its aim is to improve access to care and rehabilitation support for patients, to reduce suffering and the side effects of injuries and prevent any form of long-term disability, as well as to reduce trauma-related sequelae for survivors of gender-based and sexual violence. Launched in August 2024, the project has already supported more than 1,500 patients in rehabilitation, 152 of whom received mobility aids (crutches, walking sticks, wheelchairs, etc.). In addition, 95 survivors of violence have benefited from protection services and 41 dignity kits have been distributed. HI has also delivered training for other humanitarian actors to encourage the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in the responses provided.
