July 25, 2000
Hello Everyone!!!
We are back from Haiti. It took us 12 hours to get home Saturday... 2 hours
to make the 30 miles from Leogane to the Port au Prince airport alone!
The trip was a success on many levels, and there were some wonderful
surprises. The best surprise was how beautiful the country is! Very
tropical: green, flowers blooming everywhere, the buildings, busses, clothing
are all very bright and colorful. The mountains are very green (even with no
trees), sometimes shrouded in mist, sometimes more visible. The ocean, of
course is Caribbean blue/ aqua.
Our compound was right on the ocean, with lots of big trees around the
buildings. Each 'cabin' held 8 beds, had it's own bathroom with running
water, and a mosquito net over each bed. Once I repaired my net, I was
bothered much less by biting/flying things in the night. While we did see
tarantulas (almost daily), we never had any in our cabin.
We were able to do a little sightseeing while doing our work on the island.
We hiked up a mountain to deliver clothing, food and prayers to the people.
We had the shade of 2 different trees (deforestation is a major problem) on
our way. Surprisingly, there was a Coca-Cola stand about 1/2 way up, with
COLD 1/2 litre cokes for a dollar! There was a one-room school/church on the
top, about ˝ the size of a portable classroom. The building was made of
wood, with spaces between the slats for the breeze. It was cooler inside
than out. The children were having their lessons when we arrived, sitting on
rough-hewn benches, writing at angled rough-hewn 'desks'. They sang for us,
we sang for them, then handed out clothing bundles, one per family. Some of
the people followed us a bit down the mountain, and we shared our lunches and
water with them, under the shade of one of the trees. I was reminded of the
loaves and fishes, as there was plenty of food for all.
We visited the market in Leogane, to buy food for our 'adopted' children's
families. With it's French architecture, and busy open market area, Leogane
reminded me of a very run-down New Orleans. We bought big, covered buckets,
filled them with food (rice, beans, sugar, soap, etc) and treats.... enough
for a week for the family.... for about $15. I bought a straw hat for myself
for $2 Haitian...about 50 cents American.
We walked to a village about ˝ mile down the beach from where we stayed. Our
interpreters came with us (yes, a man was selling cold cokes for $1). We
visited with the residents, prayed for their families. The huts were
literally made of sticks, with spaces in between for the breeze, and dirt
floors. One of the families we visited had 2 very sick babies, a
one-month-old and a 2- year-old. Their mother told us that they hadn't eaten
for several days, had been vomiting and had diarrhea. The children were
lethargic; the baby was severely dehydrated. When asked whether she would
take them to the clinic at the mission, she replied that she didn't have the
money. A man in our group started taking up a collection. The cost of the
clinic is $10 Haitian for each child…about $2.50 American! The mother did
take the children on Monday, where they received Pepto Bismol and some
antibiotics. When we revisited the village on Thursday, the 2-year-old was
up, looking all bright-eyed at the visitors. The baby was looking around,
licking his lips, ready to eat. For $5.00, we saved 2 lives!
I had the opportunity to work in the clinic 2 of the days. Tuesday was
prenatal day; Thursday was well-baby check-up day. I taught a breastfeeding
class each day, using the Mantas made by La Leche League of Guatemala,
purchased via a stipend from the Florida Lactation Consultant Association.
On Tuesday, our young translator, Julene interpreted the class for me, on
Thursday it was Jude, the young man in charge of teaching at the clinic.
Each was wonderful, as they turned my words into Creole; Julene explaining
far more than the words I spoke, Jude so serious as he clutched his chest in
imitation of my demonstrations.
After the Thursday class, one of the women from one of the other churches in
our group decided that she should hand out the cans of powdered formula that
she brought with her. Both the new nurse Anne and I tried to explain that
the cans of formula were supposed to be used in case of extreme emergency
only, but she was determined to see her contribution to the clinic given to
the people. She promised certain women the cans, and then others grabbed
them out of her hands. We nearly had a riot on our hands, and I was so angry
at her actions that I would have strangled the woman, given the chance. I
had a long talk with Jude, explaining that I felt she negated all my
preparations and the lesson I tried to teach that morning. He understood
after we started speaking, that using formula would ultimately end up
decreasing a mother's milk supply. One of the women (who was promised but
did not receive formula) told me that "it's fine for you in the US to
exclusively breastfeed your babies: you get enough to eat there! I tried to
explain that even in the US, women have the same concern about milk supply,
but she wasn't listening. The Haitian nurse at the clinic gave her a couple
of weeks of prenatal vitamins, and she seemed to be satisfied.
After a further discussion with Jude (and Julene on another day), he
understood that if money is tight, if the families food supply in jeopardy,
then it would be far better to feed the mother than to spend the family's
money on formula for the baby. By feeding mother, 2 people eat. Formula
cost for the baby is about $25 American per week. Many families earn less
than $50 a week. Haiti is the 2nd most food-insecure country in the world.
A Haitian proverb states that a man is rich who has food for the next day.
Jude will teach the breastfeeding classes, now that I am back home. By
teaching him about the importance of breastfeeding, how breastfeeding works,
and giving him the resources to teach the class, I was far more successful in
Haiti than I dreamed. While it was wonderful to teach the classes myself,
but I have no illusions about their lasting impact: I was only this week's
missionary, and I am now gone. Jude is known there, he has far more
credibility than I could attain in my short time in their country, and he
will do a great job!
I will miss the people I met in Haiti. I will miss the beauty of the place.
I will NOT miss the tarantulas, the mosquitoes or the rooster who was
learning how to crow, especially at 2 AM!
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, financial support, and donations of
supplies. This trip could not have been made without you!
Sincerely,
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