The final health day!

Today was our fourth and final health day in Haiti! What an experience it has been! From the onset, our goal was to provide preventative health education for the Haitian people. It did not take long for us to realize that our expectations were much different than those who attended our health days! They came seeking consultations and medications, and after witnessing first-hand the state of health care in this country during our visit to the hospital earlier this week, we now understand why!

Our initial health day was very difficult and completely chaotic. It left our team feeling discouraged and the Haitian people feeling dissatisfied that their wants and needs were not met. With lots of prayer and problem-solving, we were able to regroup and restructure the remaining health days in a format that provided a good balance of education, consultation, and treatment. We started each session in the church, where the adults learned about breastfeeding, vaccinations, and preventative health measures from our Haitian nurses and the children were taught about handwashing and toothbrushing with "Monsier Crocodile."


Dominic closed each session with a presentation on sources of clean water, including teaching on the SODIS method of water sanitation. The patients then made their way to the Haiti ARISE Mission Centre where we set up a consultation and treatment station manned by Sara, Katrina, Bonnie, and myself. The patients each had an opportunity to receive soap, toothbrushes, vitamins, de-worming treatment, and whatever other health care we were able to provide.

What exposure to tropical medicine! We have seen things that are completely foreign to us in Canada and many cases that were absolutely heartbreaking:

• Several babies whose mothers died in childbirth
• Malnutrition
• Child abuse
• Infections
• Trauma
• Heart disease
• TONS of scabies

Our health days were very busy! We ran 2-3 sessions each morning and each afternoon, seeing approximately 100 patients each day. Given the language barrier, unfamiliar culture, uncertain diagnoses, limited resources, and the Haitian heat and humidity, we found each day extremely draining. And at times, frustrating and overwhelming!

Many times we felt ill-equipped and helpless to truly provide real care to these patients, especially compared to our Canadian standards. There is little access to investigation and definitive treatment in Haiti, so many times it felt like we were simply providing a band-aid solution. On the other hand, the health care we provided was so much more than most of these patients could afford to receive elsewhere.

Hopefully the education we provided will effect change in the health behaviors of the Haitian people, empowering them to improve their health and prevent future illness. We were thrilled to work alongside the three Haitian nurses that provided our teaching and pray that their involvement equipped them to continue acting as a health resource for their community and build sustainability even after we are gone. Above all else, it is our prayer that the patients we encountered felt love and saw Jesus during their time with us!

We have enjoyed our time in Haiti and God has challenged and grown us in many ways. Nonetheless, we are glad to be wrapping up our work in Haiti and are looking forward to returning home! Tomorrow we will visit the Tapion Children's Church to distribute school supplies, soap, and toothbrushes. Otherwise, it's our day to pack, clean, and then quickly sleep before leaving for the airport in Port-au-Prince early Saturday morning.

Thanks again for your prayers and support... don't stop!