When Mothers Are Amputees

The Village of Vision for Haiti Foundation supports dozens of women who lost limbs in the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake -- including some who must continue to care for children.

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More Than Survivors

A patient at the Haitian Amputee Mothers Alliance camp near Ganthier, Haiti. Set up by the Village of Vision for Haiti Foundation, the camp treats women who lost limbs in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Captions by Joel Dreyfuss; photos by Sandra Wong Geroux
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Jacqueline Joseph, Mother of 12

Jacqueline Joseph, 50, lost 11 of her 12 children and her husband in the earthquake. She ran a restaurant before the earthquake and hopes to start a business again. She is now taking care of children who lost their own parents in the earthquake.
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A Taste for Life

Chrislene Joseph was buried alive for five days before she could be rescued. The 20-year-old says, "I can still live my life and be happy."
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The Long Road Back

Therapist Tamerin Smith with Marie Vierge Exume and Chrislene Joseph, patients at the Haitian Amputee Mothers Alliance camp.
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In Treatment

Tamerin Smith works with Exina Joseph, 25, who lost a leg in the earthquake. "Even though I lost my leg, I think everything will be OK," Joseph says.
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Marie Vierge Exume

Marie Vierge Exume, 43, lost two of her three children in the earthquake. She used to sell fruit and vegetables and hopes to do so again. "Just because I lost my leg and my house doesn't mean that life is over."
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Marie Marte Joseph

Marie Marte Joseph, 36, lived in a four-story building that was completely destroyed in the earthquake. She and her five children were the only survivors among the building's tenants. She calls it a miracle.
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A Light Moment at Camp

It is not all work at the HAMA camp in Haiti. Participants share a light moment after a hard day of therapy.
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The Team at HAMA

The team that treats the women at the Haitian Amputee Mothers Alliance camp. A recent fundraiser in Westchester County, N.Y., raised $27,000 for the camp near Ganthier, Haiti.
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Chrisillia Tomas and Marie Marte Joseph

Marie Marte Joseph, 36, lived in a four-story building; she and her five children were the only survivors when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Chrisillia Tomas, 52, made her living selling charcoal. "When I was first amputated, I thought that life was over; I thought it was the end," she says. "But now I have lots of hope."
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Marie Tana Desire

Marie Tana Desire, 27, lost a hand in the earthquake. She has four children and much hope. "It is not the end of the age," she says.
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Marie Marte Joseph, Edithe Honoré and Marie Tana Desire

Joseph, a mother of five; Honoré, who lost a son in the earthquake; and Desire, a mother of four who lost a hand, at the HAMA camp.
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Regaining Their Balance

Amy Alport, a therapist, works with Murielle Christian and Chrislene Joseph on improving their balance at the HAMA camp in Lamardelle, near Ganthier, Haiti.
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Amy Alport and Murielle Christian

Therapist Amy Alport works with Murielle Christian to improve her balance. Christian, 19, hopes to become a nurse and dressmaker.
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Chrislene Joseph

Chrislene Joseph was buried along with a cousin for five days in the rubble of the house she lived in. When rescuers arrived, the cousin was dead; Joseph had to have a leg amputated. She is looking forward to playing soccer again.