After a difficult few days in Cap-Haitien with the worst rain fall in over 30 years, which claimed a number of lives with torrential flooding, it was a welcome lift to the local communities when we opened our new Inclusive Sports Centre last Thursday in Cap-Haitien.
Opened by the United Nation’s Head of Mission in Haiti, and attended by over 400 people, including USAID representatives, the local community, Government officials, and NGOs, the inauguration was a fantastic success! Showcasing a range of activities which powerfully showed what people with disabilities in Haiti can achieve, the opening came to life with break dancing, singing, basket ball demonstrations, comedy performances and much more.
Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, Head of the UN in Haiti commented in the final speech of the event that, “We believe in the revaluation of the most despised and the most vulnerable in society, because they all contribute to the stabilization of the country.” This belief was shared by all guest speakers, including Carol Mucadin, the Departmental Director for North Haiti, from the Secretary of State for the Department of the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities; “Such infrastructures are beneficial for the integration and the welfare of the disabled.” Chief Executive of HHA declared that the opening marked a significant step forward in Haiti, ‘allowing people with disabilities to not only have the right to rehabilitation, but also the right to dream, to compete, and to truly live.’
Whilst we hope this opening will inspire a new generation of eager sports enthusiasts in Haiti, we’d also hope that this opening would inspire some of our supporters abroad, to mark the occasion and sign up for some sponsored marathons, half marathons, cycles, or fun runs etc in 2013. We’re currently looking into a range of exciting fundraising opportunities for next year, and would love your support. If you’d like to get behind our heart to bring support to some of Haiti’s ‘most despised and most vulnerable’, then please do get in touch! The opening of this new centre was our London 2012 legacy. What legacy can you leave?