Medical Mission to Northern Haiti
Medical Mission to Haiti
By DiamondRN
Reflections on a Medical Mission to Haiti sponsored by the Providence Road Church of Christ in Charlotte, NC.
Before leaving, I had to be inoculated against typhoid fever and Hepatitis A. I also had to begin weekly administration of an anti-malarial medicine.
In ten days we treated almost nine hundred people in five villages. We were also able to fit about two hundred people with eyeglasses. Due to the heat humidity and living conditions, it was some of the most grueling -- yet satisfying -- work that I have ever done. Even though conditions were harsh, when it was over, we wished that we might be able to stay just a few more days. There is so much that needs to be done.
I guess the best way to tell this story is to describe the accompanying pictures.
We flew from West Palm Beach, Florida to Cap Hatien, Haiti in a DC3 that was older than just about every one on it. It was not air conditioned, had no flight attendants or TV screens, but it did it's job very nicely just the same.
The gentleman on my right in the picture is Cherfils. He is a minister who started a thriving and vibrant Church of Christ in St. Philomene, just outside of Cap Hatien. The gentleman on my left is Moise. He was our driver. He also built and administers a Christian oriented elementary school that currently serves around forty children.
The red truck was our only source of transportation. We called it "the Chiropractor" because of what it did to our backs.
This muddy road was our main travel route. We had to travel on it to get to just about everywhere we went. The day before this, we had been choking on the dust that flew up as we traveled the same road.
While we were setting up at a location one of the local church leaders and one the members of our team would have a short devotional. It would help to calm the people down and help them to get organized for the medical screening and treatment to follow.
The little girl with the sucker in her mouth is Wendelyn. She is in the Cap-Haitien Childrens Home, an orphanage near our compound. It is hard to believe that she is eight years old. She may have a stunted body, but she has a wonderful spirit. I understand that she may still available for adoption.
The lady in the white dress is balancing a five-gallon bucket of water on her head. Most of the people we saw were hardworking and proud.
Voodoo is not as dominant as it once was, but it still permeates the society, even in some Christian communities.
Lastly, it was all about the children. Their lives would have so much more promise if they had just been born a little further to the North.
We do these trips each summer and are always looking for medical personnel; doctors, nurses, pharmacists, EMT's and people that just want to help!
Click on the link below to find out how you can help out with the current crisis in Haiti due to the earthquake.
Haiti Earthquake Relief at Medical Teams International
Click on the CDC article link "Guidance" below to find out what you need to do before you go to Haiti.
Guidance for Relief Workers and Others Traveling to Haiti
Related Article: Anthrax in Haiti
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