Today’s blog is co-written by Aneesh Dhawan and Bridget Dickinson, both GHF ’16.

Our morning began with a quick breakfast as midwives arrived at the house for training. We split up into two groups- one going on the mobile clinic at Los Palos and the other to the market. Bridget, Elizabeth, Brian, Ms. Massey, and our translator Emmanuel departed for the local market in Hinche. Our first stop was to exchange some of the money Bridget raised to purchase mosquito bed nets. We exchanged $500 USD and received 21,000 Haitian goudes. We ventured into the market and decided to buy from multiple vendors to support the local economy.

Prior to our trip this week and stemming from our end-of-year symposium projects, we each crafted a survey of questions to ask people in the community this week to better inform our work for our projects. Emmanuel translated for us  as we asked the vendors questions from each of our surveys. After purchasing seventy bed nets from four different vendors, we delved into Brian’s investigation of food security and hunger. Brian visited the food portion of the market along with the shops on the street and was able to gather data on the cost of various food items. It was amazing to see our projects in action and how much we learned from interviewing just a handful of community members.

The eventful morning left us very tired, but all we needed was a quick rest back at the house. We continued interviewing residents of Hinche, mostly women who were at home, and learned about perceptions of disease in a rural community. Many were intrigued by what we were doing beyond the simple question-asking; with these concerns in mind, we returned home with an even stronger resolution to translate our research into lasting change. We even met a local pharmacist who is a week away from opening a free community clinic in Hinche! We are hoping to collect some eyeglasses for this new clinic to be able to distribute to those in need.

Meanwhile in Los Palos, Aneesh, Stuart, Wyatt and Mr. Doar accompanied the midwives on their mobile clinic. Wyatt took the blood pressure of 30 pregnant women, while Aneesh and Stuart checked and recorded their weights. Stuart and Aneesh also interviewed many of the women waiting to be seen by the midwives. Stuart’s survey concentrated on women’s health empowerment and Aneesh’s survey focused on access to water. The three helped support the clinic by sorting pills and then went on a tour of the village.

Their translator, Gladius, was able to show them the high school and introduce them to Father Gee. Father Gee is a very well educated lawyer and priest who ran the church and also taught constitutional law at a university in Hinche. Our topics of conversation varied from Notre Dame to Haitian politics. We thentrekked back to the mobile clinic, packed up the medical equipment and headed back home in the MFH hot pink jeep. Both groups met up back at the house and had a delicious Haitian lunch.

The group tried to use their negotiating skills as they haggled with the Haitian vendors outside the gate of the house to buy some souvenirs.

The last adventure of the day was to the Azil, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries for Charity’s Center for Malnourished Children.  The group thoroughly enjoyed returning to this special place after a year. Each chose an infant to bottle feed while bonding with them over multiple burps and dirty diapers. Playing with the kids, their smiles and happiness on their faces lit up the day. The soccer game back at the house expended the group’s last burst of our energy.

As both of us sit down and look out in the distance from the balcony of the MFH guesthouse, we are so excited to continue exploring the beauty Haiti has to offer. We are already saying that just a week isn’t long enough to be here.

Highlights of the Day:

Stuart: Interviewing the pregnant women on the mobile clinic and finding out some really different and unexpected information. Also visiting the Azil and feeding Lwines.

Bridget: Seeing my project put into action and the feedback we got.

Brian: Gathering facts about food security in Haiti through interacting with people at the market and around town.

Aneesh: Spending time with the children at the Azil.

Wyatt: Taking the blood pressures of the many pregnant women who visited the Midwives for Haiti mobile clinic.

Elizabeth: Spreading awareness about cancer and the importance of detecting it early

Today’s blog post was written by GHF Wyatt Miller, Class of 2016. Internet access was off and on last night, so this post accounts for yesterday, June 9.

We arrived in Haiti at noon after waking up in the United States at three in the morning to get to the airport. Looking down on the country as our plane landed brought back memories of last year. In 2012, Haiti brought us our first global health experience in the developing world. Last year we toured hospitals in Port-au-Prince, Cange, Mirebalais, and Hinche and visited with organizations based in Port-au-Prince and Hinche, as well. Though we will not be staying in Port-au-Prince this year, we did get the chance to marvel at how much the airport has changed.

The airport used to be more of a giant warehouse with a free-for-all baggage claim; but recent renovations in December have turned it into a much more modern airport. It was entertaining to watch Mr. Doar being “helped” by the airport porters to our van.

The next part of our trip brought us on our three-hour road trip to Hinche where we will remain for the rest of the stay. On the road we first passed by the Mirebalais hospital, which we visited last year. Last year it had not yet begun receiving patients, but now the hospital is beginning to open up all of its services. Our tour of Partner in Health‘s hospital in Mirebalais, led by PIH staff member Annie McDonough, revealed the completed facility and newly equipped rooms, which, when fully opened, will be arguably the best hospital in the Caribbean. We even got to speak with two ER doctors from PIH who have been hard at work preparing the ER for its opening in just a few weeks. Once the hospital is fully operating, it will have 6 operating rooms running, will employ 1000 people (175 of which are community health workers), will have three residency training programs (family medicine, surgery, and ob/gyn) and will be the largest hospital in the world run solely on solar electricity. What an amazing and truly inspirational facility!

 

After progressing out of Mirebalais and back onto the road, we traveled to the Zanmi Lasante hospital in Cange. In Cange, we toured the oncology ward, which proved interesting especially for Elizabeth since her project centered around cancer in the developing world. After touring the oncology ward, we climbed up a steep hill to a small circle where we had the most amazing view. On top of this hill we met a few Haitian children with whom we attempted to converse in Creole, which was a welcome break from driving in the van.  We unfortunately had to leave both the incredible view and the local children so that we could get to Midwives for Haiti, in Hinche.  After reconnecting with in-country coordinator Carrie, we ate a delicious dinner and discussed each of our goals for our projects. To finish our long, interesting, first day in Haiti we all shared our highlights for the day.

 

Highlights of the Day:

Aneesh: Realizing the progress PIH has made by comparing the hospital at Cange with the hospital at Mirebalais.

Wyatt: Hiking up a hill at Zanmi Lasante’s hospital in Cange and taking pictures with Haitian children while attempting to communicate in Creole with them.  Communication is one of the hardest things to master, but it is also one of the most rewarding.

Brian: Observing all of Haiti’s improvements since last year including the Mirebalais hospital and the reduction of residence in the tent cities, which shocked me as we drove by.

Bridget: Seeing the difference in the Mirebalais hospital–how far it has come and the impact it will have when it opens fully in a few months.

Stuart: Seeing the hospital in Mirebalais and the progress it has made since last summer. I’m really excited about how much hope it offers Haiti.

Elizabeth: Finally making use of my French with the students at Cange.