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Fresh Eyes See the Clinic in Action
March 2007
by Anne Wuerker, Ph.D.
I had my first glimpse of Haiti last month; it was an unforgettable experience. From February 19-26, I visited Cherident with Ben Small, another HHP Board and Westminster Presbyterian Church member. With us were Ruthie and Chris McCrea and Dan Burton from the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The people of the community were very welcoming. They are warm, wonderfully vibrant people, but they have few resources, and none of the things we take for granted. The past few years of continuous chaos and fighting in the cities have made the previously meager government services now almost nonexistent. There are many clearly malnourished children and adults. Even the farm animals -- the few donkeys, goats, and the occasional cow--are painfully thin.
It was Ben's eighth visit to Cherident, and Chris had also been there many times, but this was a first for Ruthie, Dan, and me. Ben's goal was to plan for a solar power installation. Chris and Dan were there to install a water purification system, and Ruthie was charged with teaching the importance of clean water to as many in the community as possible. My goal was to see how things were working at the new clinic and find out what their most pressing needs were.
Visiting the Clinic
The clinic is functioning well, providing health care to people who in the past had to travel miles for any care at all. We met Dr. Michel, who is at the clinic half time, and Lorna and Emily, the nurses who are there fulltime. HHP is now in the process of setting up a small laboratory for the clinic, which will enable Dr. Michel to diagnose and treat patients more effectively.
Ben and I brought 80 pounds of medications with us to add to the supplies at the clinic--mainly antibiotics, worm medications, and oral rehydration packages -- provided by Direct Relief International and donated by pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. Eventually the clinic may be able to receive direct shipments from DRI, which will supplement the clinic's standard monthly purchase of medications.
Fighting Malnutrition
Dr. Michel identified malnutrition as the most pressing health problem in the community. She told us of four infants she had recently seen that were so malnourished they needed hospitalization.
In response, HHP is inaugurating a progam using Medika Mamba, a fortified, peanut-butter-based RUTF (Ready to Use Therapeutic Food). With Medika Mamba, the clinic staff can begin to treat severely malnourished children right away. [Read more about our new program in our April update.] This program is based on a similar, successful program run by Partners in Health in the Central Plateau of Haiti. Medika Mamba is produced in Cap Haitien through Meds and Foods for Kids.
Once the children are gaining weight and health from the Medika Mamba, the next step is to train people in the community as community health workers. The CHWs can not only identify and refer malnourished children and their families to the clinic, but they will also be able to teach families about better feeding practices and the importance of clean water for children. We may be able to include several community people in the next PIH training program. Lastly, we will need community agronomists to help families grow more nutritious food. We are exploring ways to do this, perhaps through Floresta.
Providing Clean Water
The introduction of clean water was an important milestone for Cherident. The water for the community comes from a spring in the mountains, but like most water sources in this dry country, it is used for bathing and washing clothes before it reaches the community. Using clean water will dramatically reduce waterborne illnesses and improve the lives of all the people of Cherident.
The new water purification system installed by Chris and Dan will provide clean water for the village for the first time. The schoolyard now has drinking fountains for the students, and the nearby water purification station has a window for people to get 5-gallon bottles of pure water at a time. A sign over the window instructs them, in Creole, to use the purified water for drinking, brushing teeth, meal preparation, and the care of infants.
As part of the Living Waters for the World covenant, Chris McCrea taught several Haitian helpers how to maintain the water purification system. In addition, two members of the Haitian board (OCDES) are scheduled to visit the U.S. and Clean Water University to learn more about the system.
Celebrating Carnevale
The week of our visit coincided with Carnevale and the beginning of Lent. Saturday the 24th was also the Feast Day of St. Mathias, which the community celebrated with a beautiful church service. The service included three choirs who sang like angels, and an offertory procession with girls dressed in brightly colored clothes carrying baskets of fruit on their heads. After the service, there was food for everyone in the community.
We were all moved by the gratitude shown to us by the people of Cherident. After a church service in which Pere Alphonse introduced us to the congregation, everyone, young and old, shook our hands or hugged us. Although we were all anxious to get back to our families and the comforts of home, we felt sad that we were leaving too.
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