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Haiti Three Years After The Earthquake: Still Rebuilding A Life

Nick Kozak

The earthquake that struck Haiti three years ago this month sent a concrete wall crashing down onto the 30-year-old dancer Fabienne Jean. Her right leg was crushed and had to be amputated. When Fabienne danced again, she was hailed as a symbol of Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery.

But as reporter Jacob Kushner discovered, the quest to rebuild one woman’s life would take much more than that.

In the first part of this week-long series about Fabienne, Kushner examines the hopes and expectations that  evolved in the aftermath of the earthquake. 

Fabienne became a sort of symbol for Haiti's recovery and her story quickly found its way into part of a narrative about the resilience of the Haitian people and hope for the country's recovery. 

Here’s just a few of the optimistic stories that were first written about her: 

If you had only followed Fabienne's story for the first few months after the quake, it might seem as though she was on her way to a full recovery and a new life—thanks to an international community of doctors and healers.
But as Kushner found out, the story didn't end that way.

In the final installment of our series, Jacob Kushner tells us where she is now. 

Below, you can see Fabienne rehearsing with other dancers at Haiti's National Theatre in December.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNy2pIXbKWI&feature=youtu.be

You can listen to the whole series below:

FINAL_-_Kushner_Part_II_w_FIX_web.mp3
Part II: The people who rushed to Fabienne's aid wanted to help her rebuild her life. It wasn't simple.
FINAL_-_Kushner_Part_III_web.mp3
Part III: Recovery doesn't come easy to a woman who is discouraged, and living in such a difficult place.
FINAL_-_Kushner_Part_IV_w_FIX_web.mp3
Part IV: Where Fabienne is now.
FINAL_-_Kushner_Part_V_w_FIX_2_web.mp3
A conversation with Jacob Kushner about this series.

Have you been to Haiti since the earthquake?  Tell us what you've seen.  We'll be discussing Haiti's recovery this Friday on The Florida Roundup.

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