Healthcare in rural Haiti

Haiti is a "nation of sick people" according to the WHO (World Heath Organization), with 1-in-10 pregnant women infected with HIV/AIDS and an estimated half a million Haitians infected overall. Endemic in the population are syphilis, gonorrhea, viral hepatitis, typhoid fever, malaria and acute diarrheal disease. 10% of Haiti's population suffers from tuberculosis.

In the rural mountainous areas without the infrastructure of roads, it is difficult to get to a healthcare facility. It is health agents, people from the community who have been trained in basic healthcare, who are the healthcare providers. Their dedication is remarkable. They are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once or twice a month there are mobile clinics, where trained nurses are brought in to assist with triage and treatment.

Getting to the outlying areas is difficult.

Women

I work at a maternal waiting home where women can come some time before they are ready to deliver. These are women with high risk pregnancies. They are referred by the health agent in their local community, often several hours walk from Jeremie. They come alone, and while they are at the Center they form bonds with each other. When it is time to deliver they are alone, no other family member is with them They stay in the hospital a day, return to the Center, and after a few days they return home, also alone. Their strength is incredible, their resilience without measure, and yet.... they often suffer from abuse, sexual exploitation, lack of education, and lack of respect. Why???

Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 1, vs 17 and 18

All Life is a Witness

This little boy, little Richard, deserves so much more than just a few photos on my blog. In his short lifetime (Richard is seven years old) he has already experienced more of life's sorrows than we can imagine. He is recovering from kwashiorkor, a nutritional deficit illness, where protein is lacking in the diet. Both his parents died, and his remaining family does not want him. Yet with incredible strength and resilience he has given us much. He has made us more compassionate in caring, and made us realize what is really important. His smile truly lights up our world. When Mother Theresa was once asked how she takes care of so many and does not despair, she replied: "One child at a time". Richard is giving us this opportunity to proceed "one child at a time".

Easter at Mount St. Benoit

I spent Holy Week at Mont St. Benoit, a Benedictine Monastery north of Port Au Prince on the way to St. Marc. From my window I have a clear view of the island of Lagonave and a breathtaking view of the ocean. We forget at times that in the midst of misery there is also beauty. Good Friday and the Resurrection moments go hand in hand here in Haiti.

The view from the monastery is breathtaking. It is easy here to feel that this is the center of the universe. But then I continue to reflect on the vastness of the universe with its uncountable galaxies, I wonder what importance do we have? Then again I am struck by our ability to think and reflect on these things.

As I do some scripture reading while I am here, I am struck by the fact that these are stories, stories about Jesus, but also stories of his time. But there is also a certain timelessness in those stories. I feel that in many ways they express our deep desires, the deep desires of mankind for goodness, and peace, and right relationships, and our confusion of why the world moves so much outside those desires.

As I read the Holy Thursday stories in all 4 gospels, I was struck by something in John's gospel, when Jesus talks about his death and his leaving his followers, and he leaves them with: "Love one another!". He does not leave them with a series of decrees, but with a very simple yet often difficult to practice "Love one another".

Reflections on the Haitian Elections February 7, 2006

Reflections on the Haitian Elections - February 7, 2006

On February 7, 2006 the Haitian people came out in large numbers to vote, and they sent a poweerful statement to the world. Their determination overcame many obstacles put in their way. They did not get discouraged and go home when many polling places remained closed until late in the day, nor did they riot after waiting for so long only to find themselvesturned away because somehow their name was not on the list where they were told to vote. There was never any doubt who won the presidency, but there was concern that the people's will would not be respected.
That fear seemed to confirmed after the election as the vote count started to come in. Preval was ahead with around 60% initially, but then a day later went down to 50%, less than the absolute majority he needed not to have a run off. The big issue initially revolved around the amount of blank votes recorded, which when included in the total - as amndated by the Haitian electoral law- dropped Preval's lead beloe the needed 51%. It defied reason, given the context, that $% of the electorate would have deliberately voted for "none f the above" as a protest. The discovery of several thousand ballots added more fuel to the fire. The city was effectively shut down for a few days due to the roads being blocked, but there was no violence or destruction of property to speak of. Finally the PEC agreed to discount the blank votes to give Preval the majority he needed to be declared the winner.
What is important ot remember here is that interest in the elections were low, until one day before the deadline for candidates to regiser, Rene Preval entered the race under the newly formed party Espwa, which means hope in Creole. This changd everything. The whole country including many strongly anti-Arisitide people, suddenly got fired up to participation. People started registering en masse, feeling now that they had a candidate they could truly support. The ruling class had not anticipated this, and as not at all happy about this. Everyone knew from the moment he entered the race that Preval would win hands down in a fair election. Preval's edge was that he had already been president, had not been accused of corruption while in power (although he was unable to stop rampant corruption in the government), ended his term able to remain in the country and continue to live as a private citizen (a rarity in Haiti), and was accepted by the masses as being solidly of the people and for the people.
Spirits are still high, although the people are no longer as naive as they were, so they remain weary, but I hope they can hold on to that spirit and with it start to rebuild and heal the country.