Bermudian Robin Hamill is helping put smiles on the faces of disadvantaged children in Haiti.

He’s the president of HaitiChildren, a home for abandoned, orphaned and disabled youngsters in the Caribbean nation.

David Jean Krabacher is one of his charges. The 17-year-old has cerebral palsy and has lived at the Williamson facility since he was two.

He was one of several from HaitiChildren who met Tim Tebow at a fundraiser organised by the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback’s foundation in February. Mr Hamill explains more ...

Q: How did the children react to meeting Tim Tebow?

A: At the event, he carried two of our children down the red carpet who could not walk, and walked with David Jean. He was overjoyed! Our disabled kids do not attend nice events like this very often so it was very special for all of them to feel like kings and queens. His foundation paid for the suits, gowns and shoes for the children. His big thing is that these are kids who usually don’t get recognised for their achievements. He wanted to recognise them for being the great human beings they are. They deserve the same kind of respect that other children get.

How did Tim Tebow hear about your charity?

We are very well known. We have been operating in Haiti for the last 20 years. We are one of the few organisations in Haiti that accepts disabled children. Most other orphanages want “perfect” children so they can get them adopted. There is money involved. We are the go-to place, when the government has abandoned disabled children to place.

Had the children at HaitiChildren heard of Tim Tebow?

Some of our able-bodied children had heard of him, but the children being carried down the aisle would not have known who was carrying them and why.

What came out of Tim Tebow doing this?

He did the event and I guess he got on a plane immediately after, because he was on ABC’s Good Morning America talking about it the next day. Our charity was not mentioned, just the Tim Tebow Night to Shine event. I was a bit bummed about that. People magazine also did a spread and used a photograph with one of our kids, but again our charity wasn’t mentioned specifically. Still, it was a high honour for the kids and an honour for our organisation to be recognised by the Tim Tebow Foundation.

Did the Tebow Foundation make a donation to HaitiChildren?

Not yet, but we have a meeting with their executive director next week to discuss how we can partner. They did, however, provide new clothes and shoes for our kids that attended the event.

Has HaitiChildren been recognised by any other celebrities?

We have had a few, but I can’t tell you their names. We did have a top tennis player express interest in our work. We really need to find more celebrities, preferably Haitian, who have time and a following. Two million Haitian Americans live outside of Haiti. We need to energise that group of people to get more involved.

Give me an update on what has happened at HaitiChildren since we last spoke six months ago.

Since then we have taken in six additional children, and lost three to death. Two died from epilepsy and the third died from meningitis. The third was a 13-year-old perfectly healthy child. I played soccer with him about a week before he died. It was 48 hours between the time he developed symptoms and the time he died. Afterwards, we had to have 132 children inoculated, plus staff, to prevent an outbreak. Meningitis isn’t specifically a Haitian problem. I know of a child of a friend, about the same age, who died of meningitis in the United States.

How is the economic situation in Haiti?

We still don’t have a stable government and that causes economic problems. At the moment inflation is very high and even the middle class are starting to feel the pressure. A year ago bread cost 25 HTG [roughly US$0.40] and milk 90 HTG [US$1.46]. Now bread cost 100 HTG [US$1.62] and milk 180 HTG [US$2.91].

How much does that put pressure on your work with HaitiChildren?

When economic crisis hits, it is more of a reason for families to give up their kids. We are working with various departments within the government to encourage people to keep their kids. There are services available but they are not well mapped and understood in Haiti. We are working with the government to map them better.

Are the six new children you’ve taken on a direct result of the economic climate?

No, I don’t think economics were a factor there. They are disabled. In Haiti culture if a child is born with a disability it is sometimes viewed as a curse on the family. It is not unusual for families to throw away a disabled child. And when I say “throw away” I mean literally, they were thrown into the woods and left.

How many people does HaitiChildren help?

We work with 5,200 people everyday, through four schools. We have 130 resident children, medical clinics, church and community outreach and nutrition programmes.

• Visit haitichildren.com or e-mail info@haitichildren.com