Haiti March 2010 Day 1: Fort National

Fort National is at the bottom of a hill, a community of about 700 people. The area was hit hard by the  earthquake, and there still hasn’t been any significant relief there.

We left this morning and found ourselves among many who were sleeping outside, sheltered only by tarps, surrounded by rubble. What we saw was a re-building of the community by those who took it upon themselves to make a better place for themselves.

Within an hour of arriving, we had the clinic up and running, the pharmacy running smoothly, patients moving from registration to the medical examiners, then to counseling and pastors then to pharmacy. We even had water purification lessons.

In less than 5 and a half hours see saw 360 patients. We go back tomorrow. The stories:

-a father who is wearing his son’s shirt that his son had on when he died in the earthquake; he wears it every day.

-a grandmother who is caring for the last of her eight grand children, 7 who died with her daughter, the children’s mother

-a man who asked for counseling and prayer who on the night of the earthquake, gave up his bed so his cousin could sleep, and he slept outside that night; the building collapsed and she died; he is ridden with guilt

So for what it’s worth, it was a good day. Among the devastation, there is a ray of hope, a smile or two, a laugh heard among the tears. The team felt it all. The team saw it all. And they were touched.

                         

In all things give thanks,

David   

Haiti March 21, 2010

Medical Mercy team has arrived in Port au Prince. We have 23 team members, 12 medical, 8 pastoral/counselors and 3 lay people. We have 1 person from MoM HQ for admin and 2 local country reps and our driver. We brought with us 2100 lbs of meds and supplies. Hot, humid, and more hot. Driving in, things sure are different than just a few weeks ago when we were here after the earthquake. The airport has cleared out, the streets are for the most part passable. There are still a lot of shantys around. Yolie (our admin from MoM) said she saw a line of people 18 blocks long waiting for food....okay things are still bad.
We are meeting soon to get the meds in order, have an orientation and prepare for tomorrow. We expect to be up long into the night.
So, it begins. Grace, compassion and hard work. And in all that we give thanks. Now and always for what we have.
David

Haiti Medical/Counseling Relief: March 20-30, 2010

It will be our 3rd trip back, our second after the earthquake. In 24 hours 23 members of the Medical Mercy team will be leaving for Port au Prince: 12 medical, 8 pastoral/counselors, and 3 lay people, all of whom are servants to those we are going to help. Almost 1000 lbs of medical supplies, equipment, talking bibles, tarps, etc. are being brought with us. We’ve had an advanced administrative team there putting in place things for us so that we will be safe and ready to go. Some of you remember where we were a little over a month ago…in the torn down streets of Carrefour taking acre of patients and in a fallen hospital. This time we will be in a few more places:

The majority of our time will be in Fort National which is a large camp and an area hard hit by the quake. There are roughly 700 plus people living there under sheets and tarps but we expect that once the word gets out we are there many more will come.

There is another small camp – only 361 people but they’ve had no care at all since the earthquake.  It’s called Dubuisson and we’ll spend one day there  or so.

There is a third location called Tabairre68 where about 500 people are staying together afraid to go back to their homes. Our counseling team will go there.

Then towards the end of the part of the team leaves for  Cap Haitian. The rest of the PaP team will go to either Fort National or to one of the other camps during the rest of our stay in PaP

The biggest medical needs are upper respiratory, malnutrition and accompanying complications, diarrhea, infections, diabetes.  Conditions are very rough and simple things like tables and chairs will be rudimentary at best.  Transportation will also be an issue as Fort National is on a hill and roads are bad that our admin team is looking into additional transportation to get everyone up the hill. It is doubtful busses will make it. Some may need to do some walking.

Whatever international aid is being sent is slow to reach these areas. People are suffering a great deal – staying under blue tarps and often with no bedding at all, only sheets. When it rains people get wet and can’t sleep.  Food is very scarce.

We will going into some rugged places, and have security with us. I will be assessing the ongoing needs of the areas we are in ,and Mission of Mercy and Medical Mercy are working to insure that resources such as food, shelter, medical, counseling, spiritual, and safety continues to get to Haiti.

So, I’ll be tweeting, blogging, praying, crying, wringing my hands, and sometimes even laughing and smiling when we see the faces of those we touch, smile…smiling for perhaps the first time in weeks. I look to see the glimmer of God in their eyes as our pastors reach out and pray with them, and the pain relieved as our medical and lay teams tends to them. And I look to you for prayers, and love. Be with us…

 

In all things give thanks,

David

Haiti....again

One would think that going back to a place of destruction would be farthest from my mind, but think otherwise. I'm headed back March 20th with a team of about 20, okay 21, maybe 22...the number keeps changing...but a big team none the less. Half medical, a few lay support and the rest pastoral/counseling. We're going to Port au Prince to work in the camps, then towards the end of the week, part of the team heads up to Cap Haitian for continued work there. When we return, we leave for India 6 weeks later.

So what do we expect? Cholera, dysentery, infected wounds, malnutrition, and post traumatic psychological issues. We'll be doing medical clinics in the camps, where people are living under sheets and tarps with no toilet facilities and the rainy season starting. The pastoral/grief counseling team will be doing just that: pastoring and counseling. But for right now, I need your help...there are a lot of loose ends still to be tied and things to come into place. So, if you have a second or 2, close your eyes and say a little prayer for us. And if you are so inclined, feel free to keep going for as long as you like. Because after all, there but for the grace of God, go I...you...us. And as always,

In all things give thanks,
David

Reflections and updates

It’s been several weeks since I returned from Haiti and India, and the thoughts keep coming, the visions becoming more blurred, the memories still clearly present. And I reflect on the purpose, the intent, the meaning of that time. I learn little from my successes, but much from my failures. When I think of what we were able to accomplish in Haiti and what we left behind, I struggle to sit still and not get going again, back to where life remains dismal and people are perhaps being forgotten. It is just not in Haiti and India. It’s in all the countries we go to, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Swaziland, Egypt, and on and on. But, when the experience is fresh in one’s mind, like that of Haiti, and the slums of India, we tend to focus on that and use the older experiences as a way to feel like we will one day be okay with what we did. But the fact remains that there is much to be done yet in Haiti. There is much to be done really, everywhere. So we are looking to make a trip or 2 back to Haiti soon, sometime by the end of March and perhaps in July. I need to make sure that plans are solid, and that the implementation of those plans are assured and successful. That takes time. I’ll use our experience in Haiti from a few weeks ago and new information that is coming in daily, to make that happen For me, every time I glance behind me, I look twice to the future. That way, I hope to never forget.

In all things give thanks,

David

Thoughts

I'm on my way back from India after doing an assessment trip for the medical mission we'll be doing here the end of April. Slums and poverty were the mainstay of the assessment, with medical needs noted not too drastically different than what we see in many other countries: malnutrition, worms, rashes, chronic pneumonias, TB and vitamin deficiency. One thinks that after all the countries that we've been too that even though the disease are the same, the living environments are not that much different from place to place, that we would find this quite easy to do. What is different. From country to country is the people. Who they are and how they cope. Why they live the way they do and how they try to find a better way of life. The medicine aside, it's the interaction that we have with those to whom we are entrusted to serve. Each culture, each person, each community is different. The antibiotics we give are the same regardless of where we are. It's how we interact with those who come to us for the antibiotics that is uniquely different. And you may ask why. Shouldn't we be gracious to all regardless? Does compassion change from one culture to the next? No, it shouldn't. But what does is out understanding of the reasons why people live the way they do. Without that understanding, we have a tendency to miss the most important part of a covenant relationship with those who come to us: understanding, acceptance, trust and honesty. We can find it easily to take for granted that we know what is best for those who are less fortunate. We are very often far from being right. Like it or not, we put our own value systems into place, based on our own lives and our own circumstances and find ourselves sometimes making decisions for others that may leave them worse off than they6 are now. I come to this simply because of what I've seen: trying to make lives better for those who are less fortunate, when really they are very happy with what they have, and to put them in a different place than where they are accustomed, can cause them angst and confusion.

My parents and their parents, and their parents were all from Egypt and Syria. My parents immigrated to the US and I remember vividly traveling to Egypt with my father to get the extended family out of Egypt to the US to a better life. My great uncle, my grandfather's brother, was 80 years old when we got him to the US. He lived in San Francisco for the remaining few years of his life, living on Egypt time: he kept his watch on Cairo time. He was heart broken and missed his life and his country. He may have been less fortunate, but I believe we compromised the last few years of his life by trying to give him a better life than what he had. Less fortunate. By whose standards. I make not pretense in suggesting that those who live in the slums should be allowed to stay there and that it is not up to us to move them and give them something better. I am suggesting that we need to begin to understand that the life they have, even though it is hard and difficult, is in fact their life. We can make it better by helping them within their own community and make their lives where they live a little better. Displacement, moving, and suggesting that a better way of life is what they need, may be pretentious. It may be t he simply things that may make all the difference in the world for them: clean water, toilets, and electricity. But they can continue to live in their community, surrounded by those they know, in a country they love, and feel like they are better for it.

The harsh reality of Haiti remains. The confusion of distribution of food, medicine and housing. The devastation of lives and families. The harsh reality of the slums of India remains. Different, not as acute and traumatic, but harsh reality all the same.

Medical mission work is serving. I am reminded of the Anglican missionary motto: TRANSIENS ADIUVA NOS: "I go overseas to help." Medical Mercy does just that.

In all things give thanks
David

India: Faridhabad-Ram Nagar Slum

This slum is about an hour and a half south of Delhi.  Ram Nagar  is one of the biggest slums of Faridabad. This slum is located near the Faridabad Thermal Power Station and right behind the New Town Railway Station. Around 50,000 families live in this area under sub-humane conditions. These individuals are migrants from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Most all of them are daily laborers in the power house or other factories. Some are rickshaw pullers and rag-pickers. This place has a big dump yard and many of the children between the age group of 4 to 17 years  work in these dump areas which have a lot of toxic material from various factories in Faridabad picking out items to be recycled.

There has been some opposition from dump yard gangs and Hindu fundamentalist groups who have damaged the school property a number of times in the past where the children go to learn and eat. We went to that school which was just barley in the slum area, but were advised not to go any further into the slum area. It is currently under review as to whether we will go there to hold a medical clinic or not due to the undertone of resistance from other factions. The children there are not as healthy as I have seen elsewhere. There have been reported instances of child kidnappings.

I hoping to be able to bring a team here, but one must be careful.

In all things give thanks,

David

India: Sangam Vihar Slum

Sangan Vihar is considered one of the largest unauthorized colonies of Asia and has a population close to 2 million. Yes, that’s right, 2 million. 2 million people living in an area beyond comprehension. This slum area has in it a sub-division of a slum if you can imagine that is called the “Rag picker” slum, and that is where our MoM children are. The Rag picker slum is only one of the many sub-slums within the large Sangam Vihar slum colony, and the populations is about 200,000 people, all of whom are rag pickers, or garbage collectors. It has a striking resemblance to “Garbage City” in Cairo where we where several years ago (go back in the archives to see that). There is no potable water, no toilets, no sewage. The Slum clusters or the dwellings they live in are made of plastic or other material picked and found during the garbage collections. People go to the city every morning to collect garbage that they later sort though to recycle. They make about $1/day doing this. Children are not allowed to go to school because they are needed to go and pick garbage in order to sustain the family.

They live in small parcels of land owned by wealthy individual who rent the parcel to several families living in there. It is usual a small piece of property, no larger than perhaps a 1/16th of an acre, and rents for about $300/month, which is split by the families living there. There is a middle man, or a contractor who is hired by the owner of the property who collects the sorted  garbage and pays around 25-50 cents for a bag of plastic and then turns around and sells it for $5-$6 giving the owner a cut. The Rag pickers are essentially slaves.

Here’s what you need to know: 20% of the children do not see their 5th birthday due to the illnesses they contract living in the garbage squalor. MoM is there to pave the way to a better life and better medical care by bringing in Medical Mercy. Pastor Koshy and sister Joicy have been there for 14 years and have a remarkable educational, nutritional and spiritual program going all with the help from MoM. Medical Mercy will be there in April of this year. We’ll look to do the best the we can.  

In all things give thanks,

David

India: Kalkaji Slum

Kalkaji is situated in the southern area of New Delhi, and is one of the largest slums there. The populations is around 150,000, of which 40,000 are children under the age of 14 years. It is known for it’s high drug addiction rate and gang related activities. almost all the dwellers are illiterate and

are labor class people who earn les than $2/day if they do work. As most of the men are either drug addicts or alcoholics, the money they make goes to their addiction and leaves nothing for the family. The women try ot work as servants in nearby houses. The children stay home to care for the needs of the their younger siblings. Or…the girls are sold by the parents to gang like sex traffickers in order to get money to live on. The slum area has no water facility and the children have to carry the water in buckets from water trucks that arrive in the slum on rare occasion. Few of the children go to school. They fall into the circle of illiteracy and the cycle of poverty never leaving the slum area. The small rooms that they live in are no bigger than 5x8 with as many as 9 people living in there. There are no toilet facilities except for a small communal area that has a line that can take 2 hours before one gets their turn to go to the bathroom. The alley ways are easier and quicker. Need I say much about the sanitation?

There are those who have and those who have not. Take a moment and look around at what you have…and in all things give thanks,

DAvid

India medical assessment

I'm in London awaiting my flight to New Delhi. It has just been one week since I've returned from Haiti. Be assured that Haiti is not forgotten and plans are being made to return to continue our medical mission. MoM is dedicated and committed to Haiti and we are moving forward to make sure that Haiti is not forgotten.

But there are other places we need to go to. India has thousands of abandoned and forgotten children who MoM is responsible for and for whom Medical Mercy will care for their medical needs. I'm going to assess 4 projects in the slums of New Delhi. I'll be taking a team there the end of April to care for over 1000 children. A daunting task but one that Medical Mercy does time and again. For me it's about being part of something greater than myself. What we do is simply that which is needed and done without question. The time spent with those less fortunate make up large and defining moments in my life.

I'm on my way to India and expect to see squalor, filth, poverty, and suffering. Different than Haiti? I'm not so sure. The circumstances may be, but the end results are the same. My heart is still heavy from Haiti. I expect it to be so for a very long time. India, Cambodia, Swaziland, Egypt, Mozambique and all the countries we go to, weight heavy on my heart. I keep close to me a latin phrase that reads: "After the shadows I await the light". I trust that it will come soon.

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Medical Relief team-the last few days

From where I sit the reflections seem so distant yet the memories are firmly cemented in the recesses of my brain. The reflections of the children, the ones with the amputated arms and legs, the adults with the same, the large lacerations, the crushing injuries, the blank look on the faces of those we served, and the destruction of the buildings, the homes, the roads, and lives, fade quickly. They are reflections after all. But the images, the memories, remain forever. And so do the stories.

He is ten years old. As I dressed his amputated left arm, he winced only once, and turned his head away afraid to show emotion. He had lain under the rubble of his house for 3 days with his mother laying on his shattered left arm. He said she died there on the second day. I bandaged his arm, hugged him and watched as he walked away cared for by a neighbor. His father and 2 siblings had yet to be found. No tears, no emotion.

A 24 day old baby that we had cared for the day before, came back. His mother said that she couldn't care for him and asked us to look after him. We found an orphanage and he is there. The mother came back the next day and just followed us around. Her first child. A decision she has yet to come to grips with.

We arrived at a local hospital that was destroyed by the quake. The only thing standing was the outpatient clinic. The courtyard and the rubble was filled with patients and family who were living under tarps, sheets, and waiting for help. 7 days after the quake, there had not been any food or emergency medical care. 2 young Haitian doctors and a few nurses had spent the days after doing the best they could with the little they had. We set up a make shift clinic and saw over 300 patients in 5 hours. The hospital had a sign that identified it as a public hospital. The sign had "Food for the poor" on it as well. Think what you will.

The homes and buildings that had been destroyed right next to our field site in Carrefour, were being cleared of rubble. The smell of those who were still in there was strong. I watched as the large bucket of the bulldozer, lifted up tons of concrete and saw the flutter of the corner of a dress. I turned away, not wanting to see what may be next.

And on this last day, we had some time to play with some children, singing, dancing and sharing the crackers and cookies that we had brought with us. They smiled, laughed and danced. But a few days ago, they had been frightened and wondering. And tonight they will sleep in the street again, afraid to sleep indoors. It was refreshing to see that for a moment, an hour, the children forgot the events of the past few days, and became children again.

I often ask the questions and wait for the answers to come to me. I sat with many victims of the quake this week and heard them ask the questions as well. They told me that they would wait for the answers to why this happened and what will become of them. I look to the answers as well. To try and understand or to at least begin to accept that there may never be an answer. I can only wish that the hearts of those who lived this, of those who lost whole families, will someday find understanding in their own way and live a life that is rich in love and grace. We came here to find a way to help, and in small way, a very small way, felt that we did. Maybe it was simply the show of love and grace that we brought. No more, no less. We were privileged to be able to do so.

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Relief Medical team: Days 1-3

Technology leaves us begging formore and more, all the while giving us a reliablity on machines that leave us helpless when we don't have them or they don't work. This is one of those times. I have not had anything that works and have been begging tech time from those who do have technology that works. Smoke signals are more reliable.

We arrived at the airport after boarding the charter flight, with only 30of us on board and a whole lot of cargo. The airport at P-a-P was chaos. We parked on the tarmac in between C-130's and helicopters, charter jets and rpivate jets, all crowding to together like people on a morning rush subway. We unloaded our cargo and waited on the tarmac for our ride which eventually came and off to our base. An ahour and a half later we arrived, passing by a mass grave, with thousands of passed souls, piled under the bright lights, watched over bybulldozers who moved them without feeling. The smell was horrific. We met 3 other teams atthe base: a gorup of doctors who wereworking in hospitals providing post op care ,and an ob-gyn doc who did an emergecny C-section without anesthesis, losing themother and the baby. We went to bed early and rose early...to a 6.1 afterschock. The building shook, we ran and got out without damnge to us or the building we were in. We drove to Carrefour, a poor community in the town of P-a-P and set up a field unit at the end of a small street surrounded by collapsed buildings and the smell of rotting bodies. Just 300 yards from us a person was pulled from the rubble.We saw alot of trauma: fracture femurs, ankles, arms, legs, lacerations, concussions and a comatose woman. 2 baibeis, both under 24 days of age were brought in severly dehydrated. The mothers had not eaten since the original earthquake and had no breast milk left. We placed IV, poured in IV solutions and one baby recovered and the other remainded marginal when we left. We'll see them both tomorrow again. We certainly had a different experience than usual. The devastation taht we saw is what you see on TV, but the feeling you have, the look in the peoples eyes, the smells, the atmosphere can onlybe felt when you are here. And it is not a very good feeling.

We return tomorrow. More will come. We will place casts, sutrue, debride wounds, clean abrasions, give IV fluids and pray. And wonder just why...why this has to happen at all. No questioning, just wonder. The answers will not be there for questions asked, but we will wonder all the same. And give thanks for what we have....

David

Haiti medical relief-airport

We got ALL of our stuff on the plane! Almost 5000 lbs of cargo being loaded (not all ours) but a good chunk of it. We will be boarding soon. Still working on getting out. I was on the phone during the wee hours and found that we will be partnering with some other medical folk out of Mission of Hope and go to hot spots in town. That's all I know. That's all I've got. Gotta go...

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Medical Relief-the night before departure

We made it to Miami. Yolaine a Haitian who works here in the US as an RN, and Fitz a Haitian who works in the US as an MD joined us, so the team is complete at 10: Yolaine, Fitz, Sarah B, Sarah C., Heather, Carleen, Vicki, Kelly, Michael, and myself. We are meeting up with the other members of the plane in the morning and will work on getting all the cargo on board. There is so much cargo, that the passenger list is only 30 people: our team of 10, a number of nurses from another organization who will be going to an orphanage, and a group of US security personnel. We aren't so sure we are going to make it through TSA without some hassels especially since we have to take all of our stuff through the scanners, etc, rather than checking it. It's a long story better as to why we have to do this and left for another time.

We've been watching the news and I have been getting reports from the ground. Still a little unsettled. Okay...a lot unsettled. We'll take things as they come, and go where we are pointed. I won't be able to send any blogs while we are there as you can imagine. But I promise to update as soon as we return. And as far as returning goes...we don't have a way back yet. Honest. True story. So we are counting on all of you to pray our way home. A magic carpet ride so to speak. I'll know Thursday or there about. And if I can get word out somehow, I will.

So give thanks for what you have and for what you've been given, and for that which you have been protected from. We go to a place less fortunate with heavy hearts and spirits. But if we look at those who are suffering with a smile, with encouragement and with grace, we may see a smile or two. What a privilege it is to serve. To serve those who reach out to us. To hold the hand of one who is suffering and looking, asking, begging for help...to be the one to offer all that. It will be done with grace and love. No more, no less.

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Medical Relief

We leave tomorrow morning. We hook up with a chartered 737 out of Miami on Tuesday that is filled with cargo from many organizations. We’re sharing this charitable flight to Port au Prince with a host of other organizations, We have 8 members from Phoenix, a Haitian doctor from U. of Virginia who is meeting us in Miami and an ABC reporter for a total team of 10. We will be adding 2 more doctors when we arrive there who will meet with us, giving us a team of 12. The supplies, meds, bags, etc are all coming together. Just  yesterday, I  counted 135 emails, 56 phone calls, and 45 texts that I’ve send and/or received getting things ready to go. Big issue now is that the cargo hold of the charity 737 we’re taking out of Miami is so full  we have to take our suitcases on board and take them through TSA security. Expect that that will be interesting. We are working on getting TSA to let us through due to our medical mission relief status.  We are now on Face Book, so go there and look for “Medical Mercy” and follow us. I’m also tweeting and that is also linked  to this blog and to Face Book. So go to twitter and follow that as well: www.twitter.com/davidbeyda. I’ve got a satellite phone since there is no cellular service nor internet. I’ll do my best to give updates somehow. Be with us…but more importantly be with those who are there and hurting. This is never about the team, never about each of us individually. It is never about “look at me”. I’ll tell you the stories, show you the faces and share the thoughts and feelings. We are servants to those who reach out to us for help. Serve with us in your prayers and in your hearts. It will be a blessing to have you with us.

 

In all things give thanks,

 

David

 

 

Haiti Medical Relief

Over 100 emails, an hour and a half teleconference with key players last night, ordering medications, satellite phone, contacting medical team members, pulling in favors, over 100 phone calls made to different people and for the most part, our medical team will be tentatively leaving either Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Right now we are working on a charter jet, either directly to Haiti from Phoenix or from Florida to Haiti. We will be at the Mission of Hope Haiti location and clinic (www.missionofhopehaiti.org) and follow links to “disaster Haiti”. We have a long standing relationship with them and will be assisting/relieving medical help already there. We will be a very short distance from Port au Prince. We’ll be there for a week.

 

All of this will be with His blessings and guidance. There is still things that need to fall in to place. We are a “go” until the last minute. We may cancel if the unrest gets worse (it’s pretty bad already) or the charter jet falls though. All team members are “seasoned” and have accepted the risks inherent in doing something like this. I’ll list the team members as we get closer.

 

This is far from anything that we have done before, but we believe in who we are and more importantly whose we are. We follow where He points.

 

In all things give thanks,

David

 

 

 

Haiti update-team preparing

Medical Mercy is in the midst of discussions and preparations regarding taking a medical team to Haiti very soon. Mission of Mercy is a long time partner with Mission of Hope Haiti (www.missionofhopehaiti.org) which has a clinic and is only a few miles from Port aux Prince. There is a medical team there now and they have been working nonstop for 2 days now. We are close to finalizing our team here to go to either relieve or assist the team already there. We should know within 24 hours. Be with us and all of those who are there in prayer. We seek to find an understanding and some comfort for all who have been affected. Come back here soon and look for updates.

 

In all things give thanks,

David

 

Haiti earthquake

Here is what we've gotten from our country director in the DR:

"This is the current situation relation to the earthquake in Haiti and DR:
1 - First thing in Haiti projects not reported any damage because our projects are located in the northern part of the country, we have made recommendation to suspend the activities in the project only for security reasons.
2 - Very early in the morning we speak with the facilitator in Haiti and said they felt strong tremors, but these do not cause any harm to children or in projects.
3 - Communication is almost zero in some places but we have contacted a reporter in Juana Mendez and Cap Haitien and keeping us informed and no damage reported.
4 - DR just felt strong tremors and suspended activities in the project for safety reasons, we have two sponsors of children who are here with us but are well cared for and have already been provided with their families in the U.S., at my house that is quite safe and have sent a project very close also for security reasons. At the moment is all we are for Haiti in Port Au Prince is a real disaster, we sent a map where it was the earthquake and where are located our projects so they can see that are out of danger.
 Blessing!! Lic. Wellington ClementeMofM DR Country Director"

Haiti Day 5: The Slums

Another 228 children seen today. Another image of poverty that took our breath away. The clinic itself was not that unusual. The road was bad enough that we had to park the bus several blocks away and walk, due to the ruts, the water and the poor condition. The 2 security police that were with us, called for back up support due to the area that we were in. Once you see the pictures you'll have a better idea of what I'm talking about. That aside, what we saw should never be. No one should have to live in the filth that we saw. No child should have to play in the garbage. But then again, who are we to judge. When I look back at the week, I saw some definite changes in the team. We realized how fortunate and yet vulnerable we are. We realized that life passes us too fast and if we don't slow down, we'll run out of time to experience all that is given to us. We believe we made a difference...for others, but also for ourselves. We're different becasue of what we did and who we've become. The hard taskmaster is to stay that way and not go back to who we were. As for where we go next, we'll see. For now I'm thiniking of today and wondering if I could ever live in a place like that. I'm not really sure. But then again, the children that we saw, had smiles on their faces, as they played barefoot in piles of garbage. Maybe they know something about life that I don't know. I'd sure like to find out. I'll let you know when it do.

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Day 4: Oaunaminthe

About 350 children seen, one emergency, and a long ride back and forth. The day went well, with a lot of children seen. We had 3 Haitian pediatric residents with us and a local doctor as well.

Here's the story of the day: a woman comes to the clinic carrying a limp child, about 1 and a half years old, large head and with cerebral palsy. She says she found the child yesterday in the street in a pile of garbage. We take the child, rush him to the back room, start an IV, give fluids, antibiotics and he looks better. The local doctor takes off to find an orphanage that is willing to take the child. He and I both suspect something is not right. From the way she was holding the child, the way she looked at him, the way she got him to eat, said a lot. I get an interpreter to help understand the events of yesterday. Where did she find the child? Had she ever seen the child before? Did she have any idea who the mother could be? I did find out that she has 10 children and that she lives in the street. The local doctor returns and says that the orphanage is full and that the child with cerebral palsy would be too difficult to care for. We both talk about our suspicion and go talk to the mother. We tell her that "we will help her and her child." She says thank you. We all know now what the real story is. We gave her the opportunity to say what she couldn't say. We didn't shame her, nor humiliate her. We didn't judge. By telling her that we would help her and "her child" we told her we knew he was hers. She had tired to find a way to find care for him, beyond what she could provide herself. She was willing to give up her child, but could not bring it on herself to openly tell us that she was giving him up. The story was made up. We got the local pastor, got her tied in to the church, set up continuing medical care for her with the local doctor, got the child started on a nutrition program, gave the child needed medicines, and she left with the child as she had come. As a mother.

In a world such as ours, with poverty and hardship beyond description, people will do desperate things. We helped her without taking away her dignity. She had the best interest of her child at heart. She was not abandoning him. She was trying to find someone who could care for him and give him what he needed with his disabilities. We gave her a sense of dignity, and the child a chance to have a life. How good of one, is yet to be seen.

I ask the question over and over again: for what purpose are we here? And after today, it becomes clearer. To serve those who have nothing, who out of desperation will give up their own children to insure their children will have a better life. To realize our own short comings and our inadequacies. But above, all to give those who have not, a chance to have their dignity and to be recognized as persons, not forgotten, but embraced for who they are. It makes me wonder why it is sometimes so hard to do. It wasn't today. Let's hope it's not that hard tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that...

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Day 3: Limbe

23 miles and a 1 hour and 45 minute drive to get to where we were going today. To say the road was less than perfect is an understatement. We saw a little over 300 patients today, in a very small building, little light, a generator that had a mind of its own, and people everywhere. We saw patients, played with the children, and did the "chicken dance".

I brought with me a small water filtration system that is amazing. Using a 5 gallon bucket, I hand drill a hole in to the side, attach a pipe connector, attach a small filter and let the dirty water (and I mean dirty: drain wter with dirt from the ground mixed in) drain through the filter by gravity. (I'll post pictures when I get back). The water came out crystal clear, and with a crowd around me, I drank it. Quite the experience. With a $45 filter kit, we now have pure drinking water for a village.

We had a local doctor meet us there today as well, and he saw patients with us. I'm hoping that he will continue to care for the children when we are gone. I'll be taking 3 Haitian pediatric residents with us tomorrow from the pediatric hospital.

We saw the usual types of patients. A lot of rashes, stomach aches, abscesses, generalized malaise, and parasitic disease. One of our doctor's saw an 80 year old woman (after all the MoM children are seen, we see adults) who had had a stroke a year ago, and had one side of her body paralyzed as a result. One side of her face was also paralyzed. When asked what we could do for her, she said "can you help me smile again." No much more I can say to that.

Haiti is a torn country, devasted by war, revolts, corruption and poverty. It is said that "your lucky to be alive in Haiti." The poorest country in the western hemisphere. But the smiles on the children that we saw today, as they danced and played with the team seemed to make up for that. The smile of a child is richer than all of the gold in world. We smiled all the back to the hotel tonight and I'll fall asleep with a smile on my face knowing that we made this day, one that they may never forget.

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti Day 2: Trou de Nord

Early start, late arrival, bad roads, pot holes, people, animals, narrow streets, garbage everywhere, and hot and humid. Hello Haiti. We get to the site where we are going to have the clinic, and start to set up. A few glitches, rearranging, reassigning, and we're off. We saw 110 patients in the morning and 110 in the afternoon. 220 total patients seen in about 6 hours. A slow start but thorough and complete. We didn't see anything out of the ordianary: rashes, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, etc. 2 semi emergencies: 1 woman with heat exhaustion and a lethargic child. Both did fine after we cared for them.

The pastor of the church where we were, gave a very touching speech of thanks at the end, which gave all of us a mirror to look at: what we do, and what we are can be seen by others, and yes, by ourselves, as noble and humanitarian...for the week that we are here. The pastor's work is everyday, without rest, without question: caring for the forgotten children. Noble and humanitarian. It made me at least look in the mirror and see who I am, not what I am. A servant to those who came to us, the ill, the suffering, the hungry and the poor, their hands out stretched. I wonder if I will still see that "who" in the mirror when I get home. I can only hope.

In all things give thanks,

David

Haiti: Day 1

Up early, and off to Haiti by bus, trailer, and van. A 3 hour drive to the border. The scenery changes, the atmosphere changes, and our mood changes. A little more somber, a little more worried. We are to cross the border with over 600 pounds of medicine, go into some hostile territory, and there you have it.
We arrive at the DR side, and the bridge is waiting for us. Across that bridge is a desolate and barren land, strikingly isolated from the rest of the world. Haiti: the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The bridge spans a river named for the genocide and atrocities that occurred during the political upheaval years ago. "Massacre River". Thousands upon thousands were butchered and violated. We cross with that in mind and wonder what it was like, and more importantly why it had to happen.
At the end of the bridge is the Haiti customs and passport control. The test of our paper work and contacts works. We get through. Nothing is confiscated, no fees, but a few bribes. We pick up our 2 plain clothes armed police men who will be with us for the week, one in the bus with us, the other in the van with the rest of the meds. Within 30 minutes they earn they keep. We are stopped by a "customs" officer, later to be found out to be renegade and wanting a bribe, and then the national police at a road block. Without our escort we would have been in some serious trouble. No fault of our own. It's just the way it is here if you don't have someone who knows the ropes and has some fire power so to speak. We make it to Cap Haitian after another 2 hours. The city is difficult to described. Picture a city pummeled by poverty, garbage, isolation, war, corruption and dry. That's where we are.
We get to our hotel, and it is a welcome site, nice and clean and a little out of the area of filth. We spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening packaging meds for tomorrow. We're tired, yet excited. Anxious, yet patient. Tomorrow brings our first day of patients. We'll have double the team that we have now, with interpreters and support staff. And our 2 security officers. Practicing medicine with armed protection. Maybe a little too cautious. But then again, who knows what's behind the throngs of people we may see tomorrow. Perhaps just love and acceptance. And that will be just fine with me.

In all things give thanks,
David

Haiti: and so it begins...

13 left Phoenix, picked up 2 more in Dallas, and 3 in Miami for a total of 18. 2 already in Dominican Republic. Grand total: 20 US team members. There are 5 DR members here, and we expect about 15-20 interpretors when we get to Haiti. Total team of about 40-50, perhaps more.

We made it to the DR with over 600 pounds of medicines, and had a short glitch at customs, but paper work helped, and after discussion, negotiation and persistence, we made it through. The team is ready, and we leave early in the am for Haiti. Thru customs again, and then into the country with hopefully all of our meds.

It interesting to see who we are on the 1st day, and who we will become by the last day. The changes are dramatic, in our emotions, our expectations, our outloook, and our understanding of life. We come with an attitude of "giving" and leave with a gratitude of "receiving". We always leave with more than we came with...I think you know what I mean. Our expectations are somewhat skewed until we realize that it is not about what, but about who. The greatest too we bring to the people we'll see in Haiti is ourselves. I'm excited to see how we'll use it. Tomorrow comes early and soon...and so it begins.

In all things give thanks,
David.

Haiti: Getting ready…

We leave this Friday, October 30th, 2009 for Haiti. 22 US team members and 25-35 local team members. Big team for a big medical mission trip. We expect to see over 2500 patients and will be traveling to some pretty remote places in Haiti. We have over 600 lbs of medicines that we are taking in addition to our equipment. We have a photo journalist and a video journalist who will be with us, 4 doctors, 6 nurses, a pharmacist and 1 pastor and 10 lay people. We’ll have 2 security guards with us  at all times, a police escort from the border from the Dominican Republic into Haiti, and police to watch over us. Sounds dramatic, but it’s really only precautionary.

We’ll be seeing the 1000 children that MoM sponsor, their siblings and families. 10 projects, 100 children each. Clinics will be run every day, from 8am until we’re done. We finally got our clearance in writing from the Minister of Health in Haiti to bring the team and medicines in. We’re ready…now all we have to do is make the flight. More to come…

In all things give thanks,

David

Health Care Worker Course: Kenya and Ethiopia

I returned a few weeks ago from Kenya and Ethiopia where I taught the global health care worker course. There were 22 students in Kenya and 23 students in Ethiopia. All of the students were either teachers or staff at the Mission of Mercy projects and were committed to the intense one-week course that was given to them so that they could become a health care worker in their projects being responsible for the health care of the children to whom they serve.

The healthcare worker course entails five days of intense learning with an overview of anatomy, physiology, pharmacy, first aid, CPR, common illnesses, management of emergency situations, and algorithm based treatment. Physical examination skills were taught and each student received a medical Fanny pack that included a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, trauma scissors, pen light, peak flow meters, a thermometer and an assortment of accessories that they would need to do a full physical examination on a child. They practiced on each other and learned to listen to the heart and lungs, to examine an abdomen, and to do a neurologic examination. There were skill stations where the , students learned  CPR, how to stabilize and move a trauma patient, and do basic first aid. They also had time to spend with anatomical models of the heart and the brain and to present to the class the anatomy and physiology of different organ systems. Actual patient cases were discussed and the students were given an opportunity to share their own cases. In five days the students went from never holding a stethoscope to being able to tell the difference between regular heart sounds and a heart murmur, clear breath sounds and wheezes, and were able to ask the right questions to get a history and were able to do a full physical examination on a patient.

The purpose of the healthcare worker course is to have one or two people who are in the projects every day where Mission of Mercy children are, in order to evaluate, treat, and referrer as necessary, children who are presenting with any signs of illnesses. The children will now have the opportunity to reach their potential for physical and spiritual growth.     

In all things give thanks,

David