education

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

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All in a day’s work

We’ve been reminded again of the extraordinary work that goes on at the Clinic of Hope when our American volunteers are long gone and the Haitian staff continue to look after those in need. Often the care they provide saves lives.

Earlier this week, two motorcycles were in a terrible accident near the clinic. Motorcycles are commonly used as taxis in Haiti and often riders travel bumpy and unmarked roads without helmets. This accident involved five people. Fortunately, two doctors, a midwife and nurse were at the clinic and able to care for the injured people. One of the people was hurt badly and was sent to a hospital in a nearby city.

That same day, sometime around midnight, a young girl was brought to the clinic from a nearby village. She was extremely ill and was suspected of having cholera. A nurse and midwife were still at the clinic compound and worked through the night to keep the girl alive. In the early morning, she was taken to the hospital.

It wasn’t long ago that this area had no regular medical care. Today, not only is there a clinic building but it is staffed with intelligent, hardworking and caring medical personnel.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Working Together

By Dr. Joe and Linda Markee, HFH board members and team leaders:

“We are stronger when we work together.” This was the theme of the week for the recent medical team working in Haiti. (“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecc. 4:12)

Some of the beans and rice for distribution following Hurricane Matthew.

We served in Terre Blanche, both in 2004 and 2008, after devastating hurricanes and floods. This month, we arrived just a week after Hurricane Matthew hit the country.

Although villagers in Terre Blanche did not receive the devastation that they experienced in earlier storms, they did lose all of their crops which the community depends on. This compounded the existing problem caused by a drought that had been going on for more than two years.

With news of Hurricane Matthew’s impending arrival, the Clinic of Hope staff prepared for flooding, cholera, safe areas, and other emergencies. Terre Blanche is thankful that they did not receive the total destruction like the southern areas of Haiti.

So what do you do to help after a hurricane has wiped out the main food source? We asked Pastor Delamy and he immediately responded, “You invest in the students … You increase their nutrition with fish and vegetables and provide an additional breakfast meal for the youngest students.”

Young students enjoying spaghetti for breakfast.

So that is what happened. These young kids (about 70) received a spaghetti breakfast (a Haitian favorite). It was a joy to see them wait until all were served, then pray and begin eating.

Thanks to the many generous donors, rice and beans were distributed to about 800 people. Pastor Delamy and the fleet of community health volunteers were able to find the most needy and deliver food. There was much dancing and singing when they opened their doors and found M. Merci Dieu handing them food.

There are many reasons to be thankful that we were in Haiti at this time. One reason was a 10-day-old baby girl who was brought to the clinic because she had not opened her eyes. She had a severe eye infection from birth. With treatment and many prayers, her sight was saved.

Another mother came to the clinic with her hydrocephalic child. When her husband realized the condition of his child, he had kicked the mother and both children out of the home. She was left without resources. Fortunately, a staff member at the clinic was able to assist the family.

Thank you for your continued support.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Things happening in Haiti

Written by Dr. Joe and Linda Markee, HFH team leaders:

We’ve heard it said by former team members that Terre Blanche does not look the same as on previous trips. We can say the same for 2016. Thanks to all the support to upgrade the cafeteria, the Haiti Foundation of Hope campus is much different.

This month, we plan to feed 250 students at one time, compared to the present 45 students who eat in shifts. We want to say thank you to our favorite architect, Mr. Previl, who has put his mark of quality on the new cafeteria, as he has on all the numerous buildings of the campus.

Other highlights from teams this year:

Our sixth medical conference was held in February and attended by more than 120 Haitian health professionals from northern rural Haiti and Port-au-Prince. In addition to team presentations, we were honored by a presentation from Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant, President of the Port-au-Prince Medical Society.

In March, Dr. Buck Hoyle and his wife, Molly, along with other team members, held an eye clinic. These are the leaders of the only HFH ophthalmology team that has come to Terre Blanche. What a blessing this eye team was to these underserved people.

Multiple teams combined their efforts to care for one of our favorite patients, Bienca. She was a severely malnourished 2-week-old infant when she first came to the clinic. Nurses from both the February and March teams worked tirelessly around the clock. There was much LOVE, GRIEF, PRAYER and finally JOY, when on our last clinic day, Bienca finally broke through the 4 pound barrier. Many people gave high-fives, including Bienca’s mother.

Outside the clinic, team members have been providing English lessons to students at the secondary school.

While the February and March teams were in Terre Blanche, we cared for more than 1,500 patients, performed more than 30 surgeries, and shared Jesus Christ with many people, not only during church services but also in the clinic. Additionally more than 5,500 pounds of rice and 1,200 pounds beans were distributed to many needy people.

Thank you again for your prayers. One last bit of good news… it is raining in Terre Blanche! High in the mountains it is raining, the land is turning green and the rivers are filling with water.

Please continue to pray that the rain will nourish the land, the crops will grow, and people will see this as God’s loving provision for them.

We are headed to Haiti again with our June team members. More stories to come…

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Medical Conference 2015

This year we organized and hosted the Fifth Annual Medical Conference at the Clinic of Hope.

Over 100 Haitian health care providers from all over Haiti spent the day at Terre Blanche, where they learned about important issues regarding treatment of patients in Haiti.

The enthusiasm for learning and the appreciation for the conference was clearly seen on everyone’s faces. Despite driving as much as five hours to be in attendance, the health care providers were excited and hungry for learning.

Continuing medical education is uncommon in Haiti. During closing comments, the Haitian attendees repeatedly stood up to say thank you for the opportunity to learn. They told us, “we will be able to share this information with people we work with and we encourage you to keep having this conference in the coming years.”

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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A Newbie Shares Her Experiences

From Jo's blog...

One of our volunteer teams is currently in Haiti, working alongside Haitian staff at the Clinic of Hope. Jo, an ultrasound technician, is a self-labeled newbie to Haiti Foundation of Hope but she is already making a lasting impression, both on people in Haiti and back home in the States. She’s been blogging about her experiences in Haiti at Monkey Brain Musings. Here’s some of what she writes:

Tuesday night… In true Monkey Brain fashion, I woke up at 3am this morning, with lesson plans and training ideas bouncing around in my head! I refused to get out of bed that early, so I spent the next 3 hours going over ideas and napping, until the rest of the crew began to stir.

These people are so grateful for our care…remember that many of them travel for days to get here, and sleep on a concrete floor to be seen the following day. I am repeatedly being scolded for attempting to scan through lunch and into the evening. It’s so easy for me to lose track of time when I’m working. I’ve seen so much fascinating pathology that I feel like I am in an immersion program! Tonight was one of two nights that I gave a didactic lecture to the Haitian and HFH medical personnel, and my Monkey Brain paid off., the lecture went well. I received some wonderful feedback from my team and in spite of their exhaustion, the Haitian professionals seemed satisfied as well. For such a long, exhausting day, I feel so utterly happy about the day. This trip has been everything I had hoped and dreamed it would be for me. From the joy of scanning a healthy baby to the heartbreak of diagnosing terminal cancer, this trip has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life.

Read more of Jo’s writings.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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New Staff at the Clinic of Hope

“Sustainability” is a popular buzzword these days but also a central value to Haiti Foundation of Hope. We build financial sustainability into all our programs at some level, and recently achieved a new level at the Clinic of Hope (COH) in Terre Blanche, Haiti.

Carolyn, a member of a recent medical team to Haiti, assists Dr. Nixon in surgery. Dr. Nixon is one of the new staff members working at the clinic.

Last April Haiti’s Ministry of Health (MOH), in recognition of the high-quality health programming at the COH, asked to place seven government-paid health workers at the clinic for the purpose of treating HIV positive pregnant women. In addition to caring for those patients, the MOH agreed these full-time health workers could also work alongside COH medical staff to treat all patients at the COH.  With the addition of these seven new medical staff members we have more than doubled the number of professional staff at the clinic and therefore greatly increased our ability to reach those in need of medical care. We’ve also added a new nurse-midwife to provide additional maternity and prenatal services.

The new MOH staff at the clinic includes a medical doctor, two registered nurses, a lab technician, a social worker, a psychologist and an IT specialist.  The new team has integrated smoothly with the existing medical staff as well as our community health program, which focuses on health prevention in the communities, including HIV transmission from mother to child.

Haiti Foundation of Hope is proud of this significant increase in financial sustainability of the COH. In addition to these government-funded health workers, a portion of clinic funding comes from fees paid by those patients who are able.  HFH continues to support the clinic as well including contributing toward non-government funded medical staff, medications and equipment, and facilities.  The Clinic of Hope serves an area of more than 68,000 people so the needs for healthcare are immense. As our programs grow we are able to serve the communities of northern Haiti even more effectively.

Written by Beth Sethi, HFH board member.

The new staff members.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Chikungunya in Haiti

You may have read in the news about the spread of a disease called chikungunya in Haiti. And you may also be wondering what it is and what type of harm it causes. The following was written by Dr. Joe Markee, an HFH board member, who was recently in Haiti and had a chance to see the effects of the disease.

Chikungunya causes severe joint pain. The mosquito that carries the disease is identified by its black and white markings.

Chikun-what?

There are many diseases and conditions in Haiti that you really should try to avoid: malaria and diseases transmitted by contaminated water, such as typhoid fever or cholera. Now there is a new disease that you would never want – chikungunya fever. This viral disease started more than 60 years ago in Africa, probably Tanzania. The name comes from an African term meaning “bending over,” because of the general severe joint pain. Recently with the ease of international travel, this virus has invaded the Western Hemisphere, particularly the Caribbean. Six months ago, chikungunya was practically unheard of in Haiti. Not now.

If there is any good news about this condition, it’s that it is preventable with appropriate precautions, such as frequent use of mosquito repellent or wearing permethrin-treated clothing. Also, it is reported that there is lifetime immunity with a single prior infection. The other good news is that the mortality rate is very low.

There is also bad news: no treatment for this condition is available. Children are very susceptible to this disease. This virus is somewhat similar to dengue fever, which also causes fever and pain, but not usually severe joint pain. Both diseases are carried by the same mosquito, aedes aegypti, which bites you during the day, not in the morning or evening.

What are the symptoms? Last month our team saw many patients with fever, joint pain, including their toes, and a rash on different parts of their body. Some patients had a rash on their face, hands, or only on their back with very few other symptoms.  Many patients had “relapses.” They might have had a fever 1-2 weeks earlier, then started to feel better but later the symptoms returned. Unfortunately, there are some reports that this disease may persist for several months, or longer.

During the two weeks that we were in Haiti, every Haitian I talked to was well aware of chikungunya disease, and most said they had already been infected. They actually talked more about “the epidemic” than about the World Cup. Amazing.

Many of the Clinic of Hope staff are suffering with chikungunya. Thank you for supporting these faithful workers, who even though they suffer, continue to serve in the clinic. Please pray for the people of Haiti. Chikungunya fever is everywhere in the country. Without access to the preventive measures we normally use, their suffering will continue.

To help: donate to the Clinic of Hope to support the staff who are caring for patients every day.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Tetanus Vaccine Campaign

Health department workers prepare tetanus vaccines during a 7-day vaccination campaign held earlier this year. The vaccines were given to women ages 15 to 49 at the Clinic of Hope in Terre Blanche and in Tet Kanal.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Update: Good News for Anelson

Anelson today, a healthy and happy boy.

We love updates with good news. This is an update on Anelson, a 17-month-old boy who was close to death when he came to the Clinic of Hope in June. He weighed only 10 pounds and was unresponsive, dehydrated and very limp. With the care of visiting doctors and nurses, Anelson improved during the week that the June medical team was in Haiti.

The team’s care, round-the-clock feeding schedule and encouragement for Anelson’s mother to breast feed brought results, and the team was amazed at how good Anelson looked when they headed home at the end of the week.

Since the team’s departure the clinic staff has continued to care for Anelson. Mme Elvire and Mme Vilia visited Anelson’s home in the mountains. Two weeks after the medical team left, his mother brought him to the clinic. Today, he is a healthy and happy little boy.

It’s because of your support that we are able to help children like Anelson. Children, whose parents would have no hope without your involvement in Haiti. Please consider making a monthly donation to the Clinic of Hope to help children like Anelson.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Providing Hope and Life

The Haiti Foundation of Hope summer team is now back in the United States after preparing medications for over 1,100 patients, many of whom were extremely ill. The team members came from across the country.

Life, even in the face of death

Anelson, a 17-month-old weighing only 10 pounds, was brought in to the clinic by his distraught mother. He was close to death, unresponsive, dehydrated, and very limp. Thanks to the skills of a team doctor and nurses and other diligent team members, he slowly but definitely improved. They literally brought him back from the brink of certain death – but not without a huge amount of effort.

Anelson, his mother, and Nurse Sarah.

After several intensive days of treatment in our clinic observation room, we all experienced one of our week’s amazing moments. While we were assisting a clinic doctor with the delivery of a stillborn infant, we suddenly heard a loud cry near Anelson. It was the first time he was strong enough to cry! As we were delivering the stillborn infant, we took this cry as encouragement that Anelson would survive. This was truly life in the face of death. Such is the story of Haiti.

Blessings

At our final team sharing, one of the doctors shared a wonderful moment that was almost missed. When he had finished examining and writing prescriptions for a patient, he said, “Bon Dye bené ou” (may the Lord bless you). The patient turned to the translator and solemnly said, “The doctor’s blessing he just gave me is more important than the medicines.”

We did not cure everyone we saw, but this team excelled in providing a very important part of health care to the patients that were seen. They gave HOPE.

Outside of clinic

Fortunately this team saw lush green fields with healthy crops. This is particularly a joy since it follows a year of drought and loss of crops. Please pray the rain continues and these crops grow to maturity and produce the greatly needed food for these villages.

Written by team leaders, Dr. Joe and Linda Markee.