It feels so good to be back in Haiti and actually being able
to call this country “home” for the time being. Rachael and I landed here on
Sunday and have been getting settled into our apartment even since. We have an amazing flat
mate named Maureen. Although we’ve been with her for less than a week, we’re
already going to miss her when she returns to the States in a few days.
 |
| Maureen |
On Monday, we started our first day of work with World Hope
International. Although we’ve both been here multiple times as volunteers with
WHI, this time has already been way different than the last and will probably
continue to be that way for months. Thony went easy on us the first day- he
came in after lunch and took us to the supermarket to get some necessities for
our apartment. On the way to the supermarket he purchased hundreds of cement
cinder blocks for the school that is going to be built in Cite-Soleil. I’ve had
the pleasure of working with the kids in that city for over a year now, and
they’ve always had school under a large tent and some make shift rooms that
were either left behind or built shortly after the earthquake swallowed their
school and church. I can only imagine
how happy they will be to have a school again. I’m hoping to make a trip out
there to see the kids and the progress that’s being made. I’ll try to include
pictures.
 |
| Maureen and Rachael on the way to work |
On Tuesday, we were given some paperwork that needed to be
edited for children in the Hope for Children sponsorship program. We’re
actually still working on that paperwork and today is Thursday. We have over 94
documents to edit for children enrolled in two of WHI’s schools. There are five
different schools that Rachael and I know of… that’s going to be a lot of
paperwork. The files will be sent to the
sponsors of these children after being processed at WHI’s central office.
On Wednesday, the Dokte (Creole for doctor) loaded the truck
with 2 boxes of over the counter medicines and showed us what it meant to work
at a mobile clinic- mobile in the
fact that we drove there and drove away, and the clinic consisting of him, the medicines, and us (the o-t-c
pharmacists). He treated everything from yeast infections to hypertension.
Third world medicine is so different from first world. It’s important that
missionaries keep the two separate. I met an American girl that night that told
me many American doctors come here and treat hypertension with a 30 day supply
of medicine that cannot be purchased by impoverished Haitians. Patients
will either have a stroke or die when the medicine runs out. Dokte could
control hypertension by prescribing aspirin and keeping the life of his
patients. I stand firm when I say that no person can practice medicine in Haiti
better than a Haitian doctor. I’m also a little less worried about getting sick
or proper medical treatment now that I have Dokte’s number in my phone
book.
On Wednesday night, we went to visit a good friend of mine,
Kellyanne. It was SO great to see her again. She’s working at a school here in
Haiti and seems to love it so far. She was the one who introduced us to three
women (one American and two British) who work for Senn Penn’s organization.
They had a lot to share with us including some pretty interesting stories and
some wonderful advice. We all agree that if you look at Haiti as a whole, it
will be enough to make you quit, turn around, and go home. If you look at the
community in which you’re working, you can rejoice in small victories
and see handfuls of lives changing each day. That is the fuel needed to keep
you working.
 | |
| Dokte reviewing the records after all of the patients were seen Photo by Maureen Bergey |
 | |
| Rachael and Francia working at the mobile clinic as "over the counter pharmacists" Photo by Maureen Bergey |
Today we went with Dokte to a tent city where the members
are participating in an HIV/AIDS prevention course known as PREVSIDA. WHI is a partner of this grant, working alongside
World Vision and Food for the Hungry in HIV/AIDS vulnerable areas in Haiti. At
this particular camp, the parents were holding the meeting in a tiny trailer-like
building that served as the school for the tent city. The floor was open for
parents to discuss the education of their children. Only three or four parents
spoke, but it was evident that they were highly concerned not only for their
children’s education, but also for their health. All the parents signed a form
that basically holds themselves and each other accountable for taking care of
their children, meeting the needs of the family, and educating their children
about self-esteem issues, sex, and HIV/AIDS, etc. I think the future holds great things for that community.
As the next few weeks progress, I’m sure I’ll be able to see
even more of the engagements of WHI here in Haiti. I’ll be sure to keep you
updated. Thanks for reading.
Prayer requests: Maureen as she travels home, for the
construction of the school in Cite-Soleil and the crew that will be doing the
construction under this hot Haitian sun. Please continue to pray for patience
and insight for Rachael and I as our job continues to unfold.
So far we haven’t gotten sick. That’s a prayer answered!
No comments:
Post a Comment