April 12, 2010
Dear Members, Volunteers, Friends of AHDH,
Bonjour a tous.
Your resilient, unwavering AHDH is back from its blessed 47th medical mission
(since 1986), its second since the disastrous earthquake that hit our beloved Haiti
last January
We had the good fortune to have a small but strong, very versatile team who faced,
with great heart, the many challenges the community we have been serving is
enduring.
We apologize again to those who were eager to join but, given the circumstances,
we could not bring. Most of you will have your opportunity in June, as we will
resume our regular trip by then, with larger team, God willing.
We started out 4 in New Orleans,
to pick up additional volunteers in
Miami and P-Au-P and hit the "air"
for Jacmel
With our diversity of talents, every
minute of our stay will be solicited until Saturday morning, the day of departure.
After a quick reassessment of the place, and started offering
Pediatric services
our team promptly positioned itself to
continue the work started in January Olivier
ER / ENT Mike Ob-Gyn/Midwifery Mary Alice
Social Services and support (Ingreed),
fixing all electrical (James), translation
and MD assistance (Valine),
and our maturing CNAs graduates and
AHDH's trained Ultrasound technicians
who were so up to the challenge
We had a chance to once more appreciate the
soundness of AHDH's 2 decade long initiatives
and progress and reinforced our relation with the
CODEVA and the community, as we brainstormed
further with the elders, the engineers, the advisors,
and continued/started discussions on some new initiatives: Acquisition of the
adjacent lot, dialysis center etc
The day after our arrival, the
barge, that left New Iberia
the week before our departure,
made it to Jacmel.
The great mobilization started
right away, culminating with
the delivery, the day before
our return,
of ten (10) truckloads of medical supplies and equipment
to the delight of our partner, CODEVA, and the whole population
We regret not having been able to attend the barge ribbon cutting, in Jacmel, given
our busy schedule in La Vallee, but we understand that the governing body of
Jacmel was extremely happy about this initiative (no photo yet from our new partner,
the Louisiana-Haiti Sustainable Village Project/LHSVP)
Can we ever find the appropriate words to thank Dynamics Enterprises who
provided the barge, the members of the LHSVP, who took the challenge to
manage the barge; the International Hospital for Children and The Templars,
so instrumental in donating most of the medical and humanitarian items, Mr. John
Georges who provided the warehouse, and so many others who were so
supportive in collecting and donating those precious 10 truckloads?
Put simply, you are all now part of a new chapter in the history of that corner of
Haiti, the Departement du Sud-Est (South -East Province) of Haiti, as we believe
that Haiti will be rebuilt only by motivated people like AHDH’s supporters, one
region at a time.
Thank-you, Thank-you, Mercis, Mercis et Mille Mercis, every one.
On the education front, even though we don't venture too often there, but we could
not ignore what was a crying injustice, as I have appraised some of you: The
Lyceum which depends on the government to function received nothing
but the order not to use the concrete building, while the private schools ( Nuns and
Brothers) had received large tents to restart classes
We thank again Health Through Communication Foundation (Dr. Carolle Jean-
Murat, San Diego, CA) for their prompt response in supporting our initiative: We
are buying seven (7) 16x16 steel tents from Worlwide Shelters Inc.. presently in
Dominican Republic and willing to bring them to Jacmel, at $740 piece, plus some
shipping fees.
As during our previous trips- even though to quite a larger scale since the current
crisis- the impression of having scratched just the surface of a deep problem
lingers, and we barely can console ourselves of having been blessed to be able to
respond to the distress of our beloved brethren, and the willingness of so many - 28
so far- to return in June with AHDH which is most admirable and encouraging - to
continue His works.
Also add the gratitude of those whom we serve, which is just priceless:
like the family of little Jean-Georges,
delivered by cesarean section in February,
brought to show us his progress.
But we know that there is a lot - a lot more left to do.
Imagine an adult living all
her life with this reparable
deformity, but caught in a
deprived environment.
We pray an orthopedist will join us As well as another anesthesiologist -
(MD or CRNA) for Team-2.
We would like also to place a special appeal for a master electrician ( a major
electrical work is overdue) and a Bio-Med Technician for Team-1, as those are
still definite Achilles' tendons on our program. And please keep in mind the digital
x-ray developer which we badly need and will make a big difference in our program.
Please, join AHDH's efforts to make a real difference in the lives of our
Brethren over there.
Again, thanks so much Mike, Olivier, Mary Alice, James, Ingreed, Valine for a job
very well done, this past week.
Please, go to our website www.haitiahdh.org for our next trip and
express your interest ASAP to our coordinator, Dr. Nicole Vincent-
Michael, as the list is getting longer and longer.
Let us all stay blessed and in touch, for His Glory and the benefit of our less
fortunate brethren.
Kenbe fèm ... (hang on)
Charles
Charles Rene, M.D.; F.A.C.O.G.
Clinical Associate Professor,Ob-Gyn Dept.,Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Co-founder, Past-President,
Treasurer, Coordinator of Projects in Haiti
Association Haïtienne de Développement Humain, Inc.(AHDH., Inc)
P.O. Box: 2883, La Place, LA 70069
chasrene46@bellsouth.net
P.S. Don't forget to visit haitiahdh.org for updates
