AMDA in Haiti

Ever heard of AMDA? Me neither,...until tonight on NHK World on KTSF-26, my new favorite multilingual over-the-air channel, courtesy of our "bunny ears" antenna.

AMDA is the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia, and they're doing awesome work in Haiti, among other places. The news report featured Japanese AMDA doctor Naoki Yao, a specialist in prosthetic limbs who has been working with Haitians who lost their arms and/or legs in the January 2010 earthquake. Apparently over 4,000 survivors of that earthquake are amputees.

The group arrived on scene within 2 days after the disaster and have been hard at work ever since, with...

• Providing emergency relief to earthquake and then cholera victims.
• Making artificial limbs -- 42, to be exact, as of the end of 2010.
• Helping young folks with trauma rehab through a "soccer and cultural exchange programme."

AMDA = Heroes.

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Photo credit: AMDA