The end of trip wrap up

Well, as with most things in Haiti, the internet was far from reliable. Sorry we weren't able to always get updated posts out. We all made it home safely and I wanted to do a quick wrap up for the rest of the trip. Thursday and Friday the team was split between Institute d'Espoir Orphanage, the clinic in PAP, and caregiver school, where Tessa spent the days painting a magnificent mural. Jenna and I taught the basics of amputation rehab to the rehab techs in the afternoon on Thursday and Krista taught basics of speech therapy to them Friday afternoon. The clinic is quite an experience with the techs having varying levels of experience and analytical understanding. It was a bit of a challenge to get them to have us treat with them for the purpose of education rather than just handing us patients to see for them. The clinic space gets pretty crowded and with our docs working with the clinic physician staff the place was crawling with people. Thursday night we headed to the Hotel Olafson to hear the well-known vodoo rock band RAM. They were wonderful and a late night meant a quieter start to the morning. Overall the time went so fast - so many things that we tried to do and accomplish in such a short time. It's hard to see right now how sustainable it all is. Wish we had had time to do more education and caregiver training so that hopefully the work will last. I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows this will not be my last interaction with Haiti. The country is so desperate and so sad and so full of hope and pride at the same time, beautiful and terrible all in the same breath. We return to the states with a renewed appreciation for everything we previously took for granted, and a renewed resolution to continue to make a difference wherever we are. Thank you again for all your prayers and support!

Again we split into groups to divide forces today. Some went back to Cool River, others stayed in the clinic, some went back to caregiver school, Krista taught another bunch of nursing students and Lex, Jeff and I went with a group to Lamardelle, a crèche (a temporary orphanage for children waiting to be adopted) where another medical/rehab clinic was set up. Gina Duncan, a Haitian who spent many years in Canada, does a remarkable job with the crèche, it is clean, organized and well-equipped and the children are darling! We went in to see two children with neurological involvement in between clinic times. The clinic itself ran fairly smoothly – we around 80 patients for a variety of general medical, orthopaedic and neurologic issues. Always a bit challenging to try to guess what we might need when packing the night before, then to get it loaded into (and onto) the vans and then figure out how to make do with what we have when inevitably we don’t have things that we need. Lots of patients with strokes and general deconditioning, as well as old orthopaedic injuries today. One of the hardest things is to convince the Haitian people of how to work to get better; I find they are often looking for the pill they can take. It was a long day and then a mad dash home to shower and change before a trip out the Resurrection Dance Theatre of the Saint Joseph Boy’s Home. Ana amazing evening of very talented dance and drumming presented entirely by boys who were rescued from street life. A wonderful evening and beautiful talent – what a gift.

Devide and conquer..

Morning came early after a late return from Jachmel last night. The group split up into smaller teams for the day – Jeff and Dave went to present at Notre Dame University, Krista provided education to nursing students on oral motor control and aspiration, some stayed to go to the clinic, some went to Mefibochet to teach caregiver school and Lexy and I went with a group to the Cool River orphanage. The orphanage is run by a group of sisters who came very much for the children and run a tight ship on a shoestring budget. There orphanage is sparse and built into the hillside making manoeuvring difficult, even if you are able-bodied. The clinic ran MUCH better than last week – more organized better set up and more caregiver interaction for teaching. The sisters were grateful for all interaction and the children very sweet – they sang a hello sing to us as we arrived! We were able to spend more time with hands-on therapy and nursing education – even got a few kids into the Cascade DAFOs that were donated. This evening we took a trip downtown to see the Palace and national monuments with a guided tour by Jeff.

Jacmel Adventure

Saturday morning we left Healing Hands compound at 8:30 for Jacmel. We loaded up on a big tour bus, listened to Jeff's crazy music and enjoyed the senic view winding up and then back down the mountain. The view was stunning. We almost experienced a few close calls with the buses, cars, and moto's passing by at rapid speeds! Jacmel is a beach/tourist town on the coast where people from all over Haiti come to chill out.

We checked into the hotel ate lunch and hurried off to drop the first team at the Jacmel Clinic. Lauren was with this team and they were just 10 minutes from the hotel were about 120 patients were waiting to see them! Jeff and I continued with the 2nd team to Casse up in the mountains. We were told that it would only take about 30 minutes and a few river crossings to get there. Hmmmmm. We had NO idea! It was quite the experience as we drove through a very bumpy/muddy road to get to a very large river which we crossed about 7 times! Our driver Cyril was very nervous about the approaching storm clouds and the last stretch of crossing where a Toyota truck was high centered on a rock right where we needed to go. We ended up taking our chances and got to the clinic where 200 plus people were waiting to be seen by our team. Cyril was convinced that the storm was going to hit soon and we couldn't stay. Jeff, Jan, Cathrine and I decided that we would stay over night at the clinic and Cyril would pick us up in the morning after the storm passed. The day clinic went well- It was a bit overwhelming the amount of people/needs that were there, but we did what we could. We handed out Vitamins, Ibprofen, and worm pills like they were candy. We were the first clinic to ever be in Casse. 200 years this village has been around. It was a very rocky hillside village just beyond the riverbed. The night consisted of good Haitian food, peeing in a volcano made of cement, music, bugs, sleeping on the church floor, and a rain storm that lasted through the whole night. About 6:30 am we started the clinic again until Cyril came for us. It was hard to leave the people that hadn't been seen- but we would be there for days and days if we saw EVERYONE.

Sunday afternoon we met up with the rest of the group at the hotel and headed to the beach. It was great weather and the ocean was wonderful. We couldn't had asked for a better day!

Thank goodness for duct tape

Well, our first day in Port au Prince saw the team splitting up. Jeff stayed at the clinic here at Kay Kapab, Lexy spent the day preparing for the outreach clinics at Jachmel and Casse tomorrow and I went with a group to the orphanage at food for the poor. What a profound experience - 80+ kids, a significant amount profoundly impaired all on cots and various wheelchairs in the courtyard of the home. We had a reference book we went through last night but it didn't really matter - it was more a case of triage the most disasterous situations. The positioning is atrocious, there are at least 20 kids in need of seating and mobility devices and we have very limited supplies (though plenty of duct tape thank you thank you Maggie!) I guess you just do what you can and make a difference in the small ways you can but it seemed like the day flew by and we hardly had time to breathe. We finish the night by packaging meds and equipment for the clinics tomorrow and then head out to see some Haitian jazz at a local nightclub.

Leaving Dechapelle, on to the next adventure

Unpacking meds:

Denise, Shaun and Jeff in Dechapelle:

The van comes earlier than we are ready for it and we sadly say goodbye to Shaun and Denise and our home away from home. The ride back to Port au Prince is clear and I am taken by how much more comfortable I feel with what seemed so shocking just 4 days ago – seems that we were at HAS much longer than that. We arrive at Healing Hands just a little after the larger part of the team – spend the day getting acclimated, unpacking and organizing and settling in for the next stage of the adventure. The ground are beautiful, though seems a bit of a dichotomy with the poverty staring us in the face from the other side of the fence. We tour the clinic which is right on site and prepare for the rest of the time to come.

A Day at HAS

Denise and the rehab tech program at HAS:

Shaun takes me around on surgical rounds after morning report this morning as Jeff and Lexy head out to do home visits with the social work staff in the more remote areas of Varette. The hospital is overwhelming, though clean and well organized by Haitian standards. There are people waiting everywhere – families sleep at night on the floors and under the beds of the patients. We stop in on the NICU, though there’s no respiratory support beyond oxygen and little intervention according to US standards. The malnutrition ward has about 35 patients who are admitted for intervention of severe malnutrition – it is clean and a daily schedule is suggested from the wall. People in all areas are friendly and welcoming. I’m grateful for the support of Shaun interpreting for me and am kicking myself for not working harder on my Kreyol. I tried on a couple of occasions to spend a little time observing the Haitian rehab technician, but, as I’m starting to learn in Haiti – sometimes the best-laid plans just don’t happen… In the afternoon I spend a little more time with the rehab technician’s school. Denise graciously invites me to share some of my pediatric experience especially in regards to yesterday’s work with Ti Luk Nyen whom most of them know. They are interested and ask good questions, but I get to experience firsthand some of the teaching barriers.

The road to Gonaive

School in Gonaive:

Two families who will be able to be helped with the school scholarships:

The road back to Dechapelle:

Our ride shed up bright and early to take us to Gonaive. The morning is bright and clear after the rains of last night and the mountains and fields are beautiful in the morning light. It’s market day and there are people everywhere along the roads. The strength and grace of these women is amazing – the volume and weight of what they carry on their heads is incredible. They make it looks effortless and beautiful. The roads where markets are set up are incredible. People crowding their wares and produce onto blanket and in baskets and then sit in hopes of selling. The mountains give way to dessert and we drive past amazing eeks at existence – houses made of scraps and tin, some with refuge tents still in the yard. Families in their yards with children running naked toward the roads as we pass. Children appear out of their homes and spill out along the streets as they had to school. Dressed neat as a pin in their uniforms from their homes in the dust. The roads bumps along for the last hour of the trip – full of potholes and washouts and ditches in the gravel, reminders of the recent hurricanes and the repair work yet to be started. We meet up with Jeff’s friend Herby, his co-founder Harry and his wife Isabelle when we get to the city. They have gathered the board and supporters of their organization – Zion’s Children (Organisation des Enfants De Sion) and host a meeting to share with the work the work they’ve done and their vision for the future – supporting school education for the families in the city who can’t afford to pay for it (they’ve identified already 20 children for the 2009-2010 year), a rebuilding of the orphanage that was destroyed in the latest hurricane and a community center with job and language training. We were touched when they hosted a small reception to welcome us and they took us on a tour of the city so we could see firsthand the devastation of the hurricane last year. The roads are disastrous at best, there is no sewage or garbage system and the public schools have no teachers. We are able to visit one of the private schools that the orphanage partners with to support children’s education. They currently have supported the education of 10 students. US$250 is able to provide a year’s education and books, US$350 includes uniforms as well (students will be sent home if they are not in uniform), US$500 adds 3 hot meals a week and US$700 includes an annual medical visit (most children have never seen a doctor). We are thrilled to be able to support 10 children’s education for a year thanks to the generosity of donations received toward our trip. It is incredible to see the hope that is possible within a community so devastated by disaster. Harry recounts the experience of climbing to the rooftop of his third floor home with about 50 other people from the community who didn’t have homes high enough to escape the flood and waiting for 3 days with no food or water until the waters receded enough to be able to swim for the higher grounds. We explored with them further to continue to support their work from the states – still a bit of work to be done on that end. We said goodbye and headed back across the ruined roads – a famous Haitian storm brewed ahead. The rain and wind came sideways and the side roads, yards and home started to flood as fast as it began. With this evidence of the power of just an average afternoon storm it is terrifying to imagine what the hurricanes must have been like. We stopped to say goodbye to Karen and Ti Luk Nyen, though we can only hope our paths will cross again. The work she does at the orphanage and school she has created is another noble example of hope in a desperate country. Without education, the children have no hope of a future. We are so grateful to all whose generous donations made their support possible.

Images of the destruction at Gonaive

Ok, sorry about the double pictures but this takes forever - you get the idea...

What happens in Haiti when it rains (won't let me turn it, grrr) A sweet shot of Lexy and Ti Luk Nyen:

Morning starts with morning report with the staff at HAS. After report, Jeff heads off to work at the hospital and Lexy and I walk down to Karen’s. Ti Luk Nyen has captured our hearts though I don’t know who swear more, he or us! We spend the morning with him – focusing on improving use of his arms and walking and he truly makes some strides. Karen is thrilled as we head home for lunch. The afternoon I drop in to the rehab technician’s class that is currently being taught – 4 eager students under the gentle hand of Denise, a PT from Pittsburgh who is the current teacher. There are so many barriers – depth of understanding and critical thinking, language and resources, but they struggle hard to grasp the concepts she is teaching. We are invited to attend a rural support group with some of the social workers from HAS and are inspired by the honesty and simplicity of their touch with the community. We work hard to be inconspicuous but it’s hard not to be clearly aware of how different we appear to the community. Lexy and I were like pied pipers returning from Karen’s today – school was letting out and instantly we were surrounded by laughing and fascinated children of all ages. Their faces are beautiful and their curiosity entertaining. It pours like it’s never going to stop tonight – as we drive back from the support group we watch families huddled at the doors of their homes trying to escape the rain. It’s amazing to me that after the rain so hard each evening, it can so quickly get so dry and scorching in the daytime – the earth can’t seem to retain any of the moisture for any period of time, it all runs in rushed down to the river beds.

Morning rises in Dechapelle

Sunrise above Dechapelle:

We were blessed by an uneventful trip and entrance into Haiti. With the help of Jeff we flew through the customs area and settled in a van to head to Dechapelle. Shaun Cleaver will be our gracious host, a Canadian physio who has been at Hopital Albert Schweitzer for a year to establish a rehabilitation technicians program for training of Haitians. We climb up along the mountain ridge out of the city accompanied by two other PTs from Oregon. The two-hour ride is a breathtaking trip through beautiful mountains and valleys juxtaposed with pure and abject poverty in the homes that line the roads. Animals are everywhere wandering in and out of the road – goats and sheep and cows and horses seem to wander at will. We settled in to a very comfortable guest house on the HAS campus in the midst of the beautiful plantation homes that now house the medical staff. We commit to an early rise to hike the mountain behind the hospital and 4:15 dawns early. We hike by the light of the moon past homes and yards where life is already in motion. The sun breaks in silent glory at 5:15 from the top of the mountain – a fantastic place to breathe and be thankful for the provisions of the last two days. The afternoon finds us hiking again through the hills in the town of Varette – women pass us ceaselessly in silent grace and strength with burdened loads balanced on their heads. The day is hot and many are out bathing and playing in the river along the path. In the evening we visit Karen, a Canadian woman who has established an orphanage “Hands across the sea” and school down the road from the hospital. She has 14 children residing with her, 2 with physical and mental handicap and she is ecstatic to have some time with us. Ti Luk Nyen, a little boy of 4 who was abandoned at school 2 years ago captures our hearts and Lexy and I promise to return in the morning to spend some time with him. It is hard to even know where to begin but she is so grateful for any help.

Bienvenue haiti

Thank you for all your prayers. We had an uneventful flight and slated through customs with the wonderful aid of Jeff. A magnificent ride to

Blessings for donations

WOW!!! We have been blown away by the generosity of donations coming in! The Connecticut team packed Jeff up with 100 pounds of medications purchased with donations received before he headed off for 2 weeks at Hospital Albert Schwitzer. The local houses of worships have really risen to the challenge as well in collecting donations of financial support and supplies- the Saint James Preschool in Southbury was excited to show off their donations of children's vitamins. There has truely been an outpouring of love and support for this outreach mission and we are so grateful!

Acts 4:32-35