First few days at HAS

No pictures to show today, but tomorrow they will be here. Too much trouble with the computers and SoooooooooooSllllooooooooooooooow.

All is well here and the hospital is entirely different from my/our last visit. Last time everything at Hopital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) was in shambles. Not only did the left hand not know what the right one was doing: nobody KNEW there was a right hand. Nurses slept through the night and patients died which was discovered in the morning. No longer so. Dr. Rolf Maibach, an elderly gentleman from Switzerland is the new Medical Director. He looks like Schweitzer, has very kindly and patiently (in a hurry) turned everything around and the result is astonishing. There are only four employees left from the original, plus the administrator. The place is clean, obedient, responsible and works like a charm. The first time we were here patients were disappearing and no-one knew why. Now they have all returned and in large numbers.

My work is mainly in and with the malnutrition ward. At this moment there are about 18 children admitted, several severe cases. four year olds are really nine and babies all look like premies. It turns out that it is not only extreme poverty. There is a hirarchy in each family that runs from father to mother and down age-wise to the youngest when it comes to food. Therefore the youngest gets little to nothing. There are two excellent programs: one to teach nutrition according to what it available and secondly a co-op system where all contribute equal amounts of money and what is brought back from the often VERY far away market is distributed equally among all.

These outreach clinics are called Ti Foyer and is open a few days a week. Most are very far into the mountains and difficult to get to. On Monday I will have my first experience. That is to say: I am already up to my ears in work (in the fanned library :-) with statistics, creating a different system of recording information which was neatly recorded but inadequate. In addition I am figuring out overall percentages of weightloss/gain.

The problem is that only age was recorded, but not height AND age AND weight. UNICEF wants all three in order to have the PlumpyNut distributed. It makes perfect sense, when you think about it. A child who was born underweight and has failure to thrive will have different relative weight and height than one born healthy. So I am in the process of making new charts and guidelines. Fun and going well.

On the way here, from Port au Prince (PAP) to Deschapelles, I saw some of the lesser devastation. Water had come rushing down from the mountains and when it reached the ocean wiped away entire houses and villages. The holes in the roads are deeper and larger than ever.
It was good to see that, even in the dark of night, the American crews were working with large, shipped in equipment to repair the roads. Especially the sides were dangerous with 3 feet deep (1 meter) shoulders. In Saint Marc, where my Jean and mother Gladys live, roofs had blown off shanties and I was so happy to know that they now live in a real house. The park in the center of the city was locked because trees had fallen over. The last thing they need: losing more trees.
I don't know whether I will make it to Gonaive, the town on the coast north of Saint Marc.
That city was hit worse than any other place in Haiti. My (new) friend here, a very wonderful endocrinologist, told me that the city has been wiped away. She has visited twice but said that, without large equipment, many people and an amazing amount of money there is little that can be done. And disease is brewing.

On a more positive note: I am staying at the house of the brother of (:-) our friend Dr. Nathaelf Hyppolite. Erlantz (the brother) is almost married to Starry (is proposing Sunday night) and they have an adorable and beautiful 4 mo old daughter named Jasmine. They also have a new puppy, a German Shephard who pees as much as Jasmine and is equally loud at times. Both adorable, though and a good step away from it all.

The malnutrition ward is a bit hard to take. However: a volunteer over the summer convinced the nurses that cheerful music, activities and colorful pictures would change and improve the atmosphere. And indeed it makes a difference. This afternoon Erin, a college volunteer who took half a year off to do this work, and I will begin to distribute the colorful and soft sheets you all donated. And the little blankies. All have to be marked HAS with permanent markers or the mothers will become the sole owners. That isn't the idea.

Dede: thank you for your idea for a fund raiser. What they need most right now is scales to weigh the children as well as height-measuring sticks to take out to the Ti Foyer. I have thought of using the new digital suitcase weighing aparatus sold by the AAA. I bought one and they are extremely fast and accurate and hand-held. All I need to do is make some sort of heavy-duty sling/swing to attach to the bottome. They cost $14.95 if you are a AAA member. We need at least 10 of them, one for each Ti Foyer and for future expansion of that program. The measuring sticks are also VERY important (Sturdy tape measures if need be that can be mounted to the wall) so we can start/continue receiving FREE PlumpyNut from UNICEF. Now all children can receive it, rather than a control group. Needless to say much more is needed, but those are rather urgent items.

An additional idea was born. The parents will take the take-home food to the market to sell. It tastes great and they're all hungry. Solution: cut the tip off so it is open (can't spoil) to prevent selling. Let's hope it works.

Let's also hope that sending this blog works.
Sending you all my love. It seems like I have been in this so different world forever. There isn't a moment rest because everyone needs something or some help all day long. I am glad to be useful rather than spending my day twiddling my thumbs.

Tomorrow 'my boy" Jean-Marie and his mom Gladys are coming for an overnight visit. I look forward to snuggling him again! I'll take pictures of your godson, Sander!

Marianne