It has been seven years since the last time I went to Haiti,
I have been busy raising my family and doing all the things that life brings
us, but part of my heart is still in Haiti. I will always have a love for the
Haitian people; they are part of our family. I want my girls to know that just
because they are here and living the “good life” that we still care about and
love the land they came from. We have done that by sponsoring a child to go to
school in Haiti for the last seven years through Haitian roots. Now I feel so
lucky to be able to go down as part of a medical team for the Haiti Health
Initiative.
We pay our own expenses to get there, for me that is about a month
and a half of my pay checks (I work part-time and don’t make the big bucks) so
it is a sacrifice for our whole family.
We are also asked to fund raise an additional $500.00. This money is used
to buy medical supplies, medications, and even things as simple as shoes for
the children. ( see photos below) Without those donations these trips would not be successful. During
the week the doctors will treat over 1000 patients, there are educations
classes the Haitian’s attend to learn healthy practices and skills so that they
can be self sustaining.
Haiti Health Initiative is not one of those NGO’s that go in
patch people up for a week then leave. Their mission is to educate, and train
local Haitians to become self-staining. They have a vision that
ultimately each rural community will eventually be able to utilize its own
resources and support itself. Haiti Health Initiative aspires to become a model
organization that supports current medical, dental, and other healthy living
practices in rural communities, as well as promote sustainable and culturally
appropriate change through collaboration with local and international partners.
As I have been learning what my role in
this trip will be I have been once again reminded of the importance of
education and loving one another. ( I was told that a good portion of my time will be entertaining and loving all the children that come) I am
in awe at the people that are coming together to give of their time and talents
to help a small community in rural Haiti. As I was talking to the person who
has done my job in the past, and learning what it is I needed to do, I realized
what a privilege it is that I am able to do this, it really isn’t a sacrifice
after all. I have been worried because I
don’t camp, I have never even slept in a tent, our team will be dropped off at
the main town and we will have to hike into the small village. It will be hot,
there will be bugs, but I realized that this isn’t about me, it is about loving
and serving the people of Haiti and this is how they live their life every
single day, I can do it for a week.
I am posting some pictures from the
last trip, and I am asking you to please consider donating even a small sum of
money to this great effort. 100% of the donated money goes directly to buying
supplies, there is no overhead cost, and it is tax deductible as well.
Please send your donation to:
Haiti Health Initiative
44 E 1430 N,
Orem, UT 84057
Put my name on the memo so I can send a
thank you!
The hike into the village is over a rough trail.
This is the community center where we will be staying and where the clinic will take place.
Local Haitians are hired to carry in all the donated supplies, we carry our own stuff!
Something as basic as shoes are not always available, wearing shoes prevents several medical issues.
People walk hours to come to the clinic and they wait in line for several hours and even days to be seen.
There are multiple education classes being taught while people wait to see a doctor.
The school age children are taught how to sew their own sanitary pads, so they can attend school. Even the boys help out!
We even have an eye doctor go down on the trips as well as a dental team that goes the week before.
This will be where we sleep, I can do this....
Providing shoes for children is one of the things the donation money is used for, we can buy Croc-like shoes in Haiti for a dollar a pair, so just think if you donated even $25.00 you would be buying a pair of shoes for 25 children.
The shoes are just not handed out, there is a class on the importance of wearing shoes to prevent diseases, something I really never thought about.
to find out more about this great organization.
