The umbilical cord and placenta were intact and a Sri Lankan medic raced the baby to an ambulance. The first hospital was poorly staffed, so Williams contacted an American friend, Drex Stuart of the Hands & Feet Project. “I told the medics to follow me to a private hospital near my house, and I called Drex who operates the Hands & Feet Project. I know that he recently had a set of twins in the private hospital and I asked him to call and notify them of our situation.”

Baby Dropped Down 28-Foot Deep Outhouse Saved By Teenage Boy

2007-08-01

(Nashville, Tenn.) – The Hands & Feet Project is now the home of 18-day-old Christela Belle, an unwanted newborn baby girl thrown down a 28-foot outhouse hole by her 15-year-old mother and left for dead shortly after she was born on Sunday, July 8, 2007. Rescued by a teenage boy, Toussaint, who attempted to retrieve her before calling police, Christela has now been placed in the protection of the Hands & Feet Project, a children’s village in Cyvadier (Jacmel), Haiti.

Rescuer Toussaint knew the mother had always denied being pregnant so when he noticed her leaving the school in Jacmel with a smaller stomach and blood on her legs, he followed the trail of blood to the outhouses behind the school. After hearing the baby, he notified police and attempted to lasso a rope around the baby below to pull her out.

The police and American UN soldier Darry “DJ” Williams arrived on the scene at a set of newly constructed outhouses, where Williams observed Toussaint desperately chipping away at the concrete toilet. “Toussaint told me that the mother had dropped the newborn in the pit because she didn’t want it. I could see that the baby was moving and knew that time was of the essence,” said Williams.

Sri Lankan soldier breaking outhouse concrete

Williams notified the Sri Lankan Army, serving on behalf of the United Nations (UN) in Haiti, who arrived and quickly worked, breaking up the concrete two stalls down and lowering a soldier into the pit. The soldier wrapped the baby in a towel and secured it to a rope, which was then pulled out of the hole.

Cristela, Darry Williams (Center) and rescuers.

Stuart and co-worker, Michelle Meece, arrived at the hospital with Dr. Jolicouer, offering to take the baby in at the Hands & Feet Project, as well as to cover all medical expenses. The doctor advised that the baby looked fine on the outside without any bruises or marks, and no broken bones.

“I knew this child would be fine,” said Williams. “After being dropped 30-feet into a pit and left for dead, and there were no bruises, no signs of trauma, and she was resting? I knew I had witnessed a miracle. Everyone involved knew it.”

The Justice of the Peace gave the Hands & Feet Project full rights to the baby. “She is now ours,” says Stuart. “A policeman from the station, no doubt a believer, gave us the baby’s first name. He said that Christ must have been there for her, so the three words for ‘Christ was there’ [in Creole] would be Christela. Her last name is in honor of Audio Adrenaline’s song ‘Beautiful.’ This word translates to Belle.”

“Christela is definitely a miracle child and was God’s chosen vessel to bridge the gap between the UN, police and the community. I am honored to have been a witness to this miracle. I am also humbled to have been asked by Drex to be her godfather,” said Williams.

Audio Adrenaline’s Mark Stuart in concert

“I am so amazed by the story of these rescuers,” says Mark Stuart, Drex Stuart’s son and frontman for the GRAMMY award winning rock band, Audio Adrenaline. “In Haiti, children are often abandoned and orphaned, and to see the teamwork between the police and the UN soldiers on behalf of this one baby, it is a would-be tragedy turned to joy.”

“Without programs like the Hands and Feet Project, many children like Christela would have little hope at all,” Mark says. “Not only was this project on hand to help Christela in the early moments of her life, but it will be there for her and other orphaned children in the days and years ahead. We are hoping to help raise a generation in Haiti that will change their country so we can be out of a job and orphanages can be empty.”

“Keep praying that we will be here and ready to take children that no one wants or can take care of! Don’t forget to pray for the mother, too,” says Drex.

Christela’s birth mother is a juvenile from Marbial, a small village in the countryside, about 45 minutes from Jacmel. She was put out of her parents’ home when she became pregnant and she moved to Jacmel. A judge did sentence her to jail. Medically she is doing well.

For more information about this story, including photos, video of the rescue and more, go to www.handsandfeetproject.org

The Hands & Feet Project is a children’s village in Haiti started in 2004 by Audio Adrenaline. It welcomed its first child in 2005 and currently has 20 children ranging in age from 15-days to 9-years-old. The goal of the Hands & Feet Project is to provide a caring and loving environment for orphaned children in Haiti. The need is great and Audio Adrenaline is committed to saving the lives of orphaned children, giving them life more abundantly with a home, food, education and most importantly, the love and acceptance of a Christian family.