The country is in need beyond description . Roads between towns are still close, although a temporary bridge has been set up to bring some food from Port au Prince to Saint Marc,where our boy Jean (zjahn)-Marie lives, and onward to Deschapelles, the town with Albert Schweitzer Hospital (HAS) and Hands Across The Sea orphanage (HATS). Most is still coming by helicopter drops. The water is slowly receeding, which brings more dead bodies and more drowned livestock to pollute the country side. Especially in remote villages the people are immensely hungry. They have some money, there is food in the markets - even though a far cry fom what is normally available, but they just cannot get there and back. Children are starving.
I am leaving October 8, after Tjitske's wedding. Through some miracle of email connections one question was asked to UNICEF: "can we get PlumpyNut for the malnutrition wing at the hospital, and for the mountain villages?" My question was posed to someone whose job was related to...etc, etc..and within two hours I had an email from the director of UNICEF-Haiti that we could work it out. After a few days of getting hospital protocols and other paperwork in order, the project was accepted by UNICEF, and food and medicine is on its way from France. Whoever says that miracles don't exist can join me at JFK October 8. I'll show you miracles!
Once at Hopital Albert Schweitzer (HAS), I will be in charge of creating the statistics forms for our particular project (in Kreyol) to supply to UNICEF, in addition to eaching the staff and volunteers how to use them. And I'll wipe skinny bottoms, hug moms and stuff like that as well. No degrees or language needed. And I will go into the mountains, hoping to find new villages and hoping their children are alive.
Over Christmas Carl and I will go to HAS again so a pediatrician there can finally spend Christmas with her family. Carl will work in pediatrics and I'll see what will be next. Undoubtedly I'll spend time with my beautiful godson Jean-Marie (see before and after pictures below) and his young mom Gladys.
This is my 6th trip to Haiti, 4th this year, and it will be Carl's second. His presence has far more impact than mine, but every pair of hands helps. So if you're interested: let us know!
I will try,
barring issues with electricity or internet, to write every day through October about my sad but also joyful and ALWAYS interesting time in Haiti.
