Five-year-old Maria Cristina Almonte Sosa has one skill that few other children her age possess: she can change the channel on the TV with her toes! Unfortunately, Maria Cristina cannot do many of the other things her friends can do, like sit up on her own or feed herself. That’s because she has cerebral palsy, a medical condition that makes it difficult for her to control her muscles. Maria Cristina’s cerebral palsy is the result of a brain injury she suffered when she was born two months prematurely at the local hospital in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where she lives.

In April 2005, six-year-old Christella was brought to Grace Children’s Hospital by her parents. She was suffering from a fever and persistent cough and her mother, a vendor, and father, a driver, thought she had pneumonia. Once examined by the medical staff at the hospital it was determined that Christella had something even more threatening - tuberculosis. She was quickly admitted to Grace Children’s Hospital to begin treatment for her illness.

Twelve-year-old Miguel was enrolled in International Child Care's Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Program one year ago. Miguel suffers from a severe developmental delay because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck during delivery depriving him of oxygen. Because he only has the developmental age of a two or three-year-old, his mother Ana was especially happy to learn of a program that could help her son.

A healthy entrance into this life is the birthright of every child. Yet in Haiti, a healthy birth is not taken for granted. Most Haitian women lack the finances for an institutional delivery and do not have access to professional services. Over 80% of all births in Haiti occur at home and 50% of those without any outside assistance.