Bermudian charity worker Phillip Rego is struggling to accommodate a fresh wave of orphans who lost their families in the Haiti earthquake.

He's in the devastated country along with a team of medics under the auspices of the Feed My Lambs Ministry.

Speaking yesterday, one of the team, Dr. Stanley James, spoke of the conditions at an orphanage funded by Mr. Rego around 40 miles west of Port-au-Prince.

A total of 22 children and young people, ranging in age from ten to 22, live there. The orphanage survived the earthquake, but Dr. James was touched by the plight of its occupants.

"They've lost their parents from HIV / AIDS, motor vehicle accidents, other forms of sickness and outright abandonment and poverty," he explained. "They're very attached to Phillip Rego and there are now many more orphans as the result of the earthquake. Most of these people are very traumatised and are presenting in the clinic with anxiety and depression and psychosomatic pains. They're getting no sleep and many are sleeping in the streets. Phillip is having to turn people away. He can't take any more."

Dr. James, along with doctors Christopher Johnson and Alicia Stovell-Washington flew to Haiti last Sunday, 12 days after it was devastated by a huge earthquake. They're accompanied by a team of medical technicians and Mr. Rego, who also funds a second orphanage and a medical clinic.

The doctors are working out of the clinic to assist earthquake survivors.

"One of the most disturbing things I heard of (is that) a mother with a three-week-old baby tried to give it away to one of our workers. She will become yet another orphan yet for another reason. The cost of raising a newborn post-earthquake is worse that a pain of a mother losing her child," explained Dr. James.

The team is assisting the survivors medically, but also in getting support from surviving family members and their churches. Dr. James said one of the most pressing issues for Mr. Rego is that he does not have a vehicle, so is spending $500 per day on transportation charges.

"He really needs someone to donate so he can get a vehicle," said Dr. James.

Meanwhile, a visit to the children at one of Mr. Rego's orphanages on Thursday had a profound effect on him.

"They came one at a time like raindrops out of the different areas and they just hugged me and held on with a gentle touch, and smiled and laughed," he said. "I realised I had probably lost touch with a little bit of innocence working in a high-pressure environment like Bermuda. They somehow have a depth and richness of life despite their poverty."

Urging the people of Bermuda to support Mr. Rego's efforts, Dr. James added: "The orphanage visit was punctuated by a hand which grabbed mine in the dark. A heart that touched my own. Her name was Darlin. She has lost both of her parents before the earthquake. She never let my hand go until the visit was over. She guided me and took care of me when I thought I was there to take care of her. Despite her obvious hardships she remains optimistic. She lives in a house that Phillip has been renting for the orphans. These are among the privileged ones in this country. She goes to school off of his funding from Bermuda. She also eats because of the resources purchased by Phillip."

Meanwhile, his colleague Dr. Johnson gave an update on some of the medical challenges the team is facing. The doctors have now completed 97 surgeries.

"We continue to perform surgeries and offer continuing care to patients who have infected wounds from living in the tent camps. Even in a crisis, 'bread and butter' surgical disease still presents," he explained.

"We have a woman with a suspicious breast lump who will require a biopsy and pathology analysis. We will perform the biopsy and transport it back to Bermuda for analysis. Another gentleman presented with seizures because he has not taken his medicine since the earthquake. These patients need thoughtful and seamless continuity in their medical care."

Meanwhile, the people of Haiti are now receiving further help thanks to another aid contingent from Bermuda, as a group from the Cornerstone Foundation arrived safely in the country on Thursday. There are 18 representatives from Bermuda in the group, which is working with the US medical aid organisation Angel Wings International. There are around 30 doctors, surgeons and nurses who brought with them approximately 25,000 pounds of medical supplies.

• If you wish to help Feed My Lambs, donations can be made to HSBC Bermuda account 010-876795001 under the account name Feed My Lambs Ministry. Visit www.feedmylambsministries.org to learn more. If you wish to donate online to the Cornerstone Foundation or learn more about its work, visit www.cornerstone.bm. Donations in Bermuda dollars can be made to HSBC account number 010-147304-011 or for US Dollars 010-147304-511.