Dikenson

This is Dikenson. Dikenson was a "child of Espwa" way back in the day- before I started coming. When he was a teenager, he decided to move to Port au Prince, and then the Dominican Republic. He was doing well in the DR as a plumber's assistant until his accident.

Dikenson's roommate had been fighting with his girlfriend, and as revenge, the girlfriend decided to go to her boyfriend's house and throw battery acid on him... only Dikenson answered the door, not the boyfriend. Thankfully, Dikenson had quick reflexes and turned his head, protecting it from the burn to come. The acid dripped down his neck, back, and shoulder, burning through him. (You can see some of the scarring on his neck.) After a year of surgery, skin graphs, and physical therapy, Dikenson has healed well. He is now back in Les Cayes, frequenting Espwa daily in hopes of finding a job.

He has trouble raising his arm, making physical activity difficult, but he is eager to work. Dikenson came back from the DR scarred and discouraged, and was welcomed by his grandmother and his seven nieces and nephews to take care of. He is struggling to help them, but is feeling defeated. I wish that we could offer him a job, but we are not in a place to do so right now. Sometimes, life here is extremely hard.