On the afternoon of May 3, 2012 a devastating fire broke out in the Haiti Communitere workshop. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the fire was extinguished before it spread. The workshop burned to the ground, destroying over two years of collected tool donations, five 40 foot tool containers, building supplies, medical supplies, and multiple projects in progress, totaling over $175,000 USD of damage. In response, the Haiti Communitere community – local and international volunteers, neighbors, firefighters and taxi drivers – came together to contain the fire, and salvage what could be saved of the tools, lumber, medical supplies, and current projects.

Now the community is committed to rebuild, and make things better than before. Haiti Communitere’s new workshop will be rebuilt in conjunction with Haitian community members, and that is a perfect example of what we stand for – communities united.

As a Haiti Communitere board member said last night:
“The people of Cite Soleil are crushed because they were beginning to see this place [HC] as their future… they were excited waking up because they had a place to go every day. We’re going to build a better workshop… this new and better workshop will be built by a konbit [the Creole word “konbit” can be defined as a coming together of individuals in an effort towards a common goal]; we’ll be waiting for the day when HC calls it, and when that happens, the community will come.” ~Robillard ‘Robi’ Louino, HC board member and member of the Soley Leve movement

We are moved by the show of support and well wishes and are grateful for all the help to continue our work which has yielded a great foundation over the last two years.

For more information, or if you have tools available to donate please contact us at info@haiti.communitere.org. Please direct US phone calls to Sam Bloch at 530-563-8076 or Haiti calls to Jimmy Levi at 509-4738-1421.

We have started an initial Wishlist through Home Depot http://tinyurl.com/7gcwkrk (log in with email address: info@haiti.communitere.org and password: haitifire; once logged in click on “My List” button on right-hand side). As we send this, the first supply plane is in the air with more pilots mobilizing. We will have a detailed list of lost medical supplies available shortly. Donations can be shipped to:

Banyan Air Service
c/o Haiti Relief, Bahamas Habitat
5360 NW 20th Terrace
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

To make a tax-deductible cash donation, please go to www.haiti.communitere.org/donate. Online donations are made through Omprakash, our fiscal sponsor. Please share this with everyone you know. To get involved in the planning, design, or construction of the new facility please email info@haiticommunitere.org.

Over two years, volunteers built Haiti Communitere into a dynamic, living showcase of ideas and collaboration, where foreign individuals and NGOs work together with Haitians on community-based projects, innovative solutions, and medical support. Haiti Communitere is still open; our conference room, computer lab, and all sustainable living solutions are unharmed.

http://www.haiti.communitere.org/donate

Men anpil chay pa lou

Many hands make the load lighter, Haitian proverb

In March, I joined a team of volunteers for a medical mission trip in Haiti. Our team of 24 volunteers spent 8 days providing free medical care.  We set up our clinic each day in a different Haitian community. We used whatever structure we could find including an abandoned bus, a church and a school. 

Among the volunteers were two physicians, a midwife, multiple nurses and a few physical therapists. Team members also came from non-medical backgrounds such as computer programming and insurance sales. The medical providers saw patients and sent them to our pharmacy where they would pick up the necessary medications. 

Each day we saw hundreds of patients. From easily treated minor complaints to severe problems requiring special attention, we helped over 200 patients each day. On our busiest day, we helped 432 people.

Haitian citizens joined our team as interpreters, organizers and security. In the short time we were together, we became family. For all involved, it was a powerful experience - one that would not have been possible without the prayers and support of family and friends like you. In Kreyol, I say Mesi – thank you.

MESI

Why Haiti? Why Now?

While my family and friends have been supportive about my decision to go to Haiti, a few people have expressed concern. They've said it may not be safe. They've said that I should focus on my own job search. They've said I can't afford the time or money it costs to make this trip. It is true - there are safety issues. It is true - I don't have a job right now. But it is also true that I honestly believe God has called me to do this. And I believe that one of the reasons I've been given this 'unexpected vacation,' is so that I can participate in a mission trip like this one.

While losing my job was devastating, I have tried to change my perspective about the situation. Instead of seeing it as a setback, I can choose to see it as an opportunity for growth. 

I've used this time to consider, "what is my purpose?" and "how does God want to use me?" The Reverend Charles Stanley says, "obey God and leave all the consequences to Him." Realizing that every act of obedience is rewarded with blessings, it becomes clear that following His will is really the only choice. So, by taking this trip, I am obeying God's call.

I've also had time to reflect on what I love about my job and where I want to go in my career. I love talking to patients and making them smile or laugh. I love caring for patients and making a difference in their lives. What better way to accomplish this than by going where the need is greatest?

Due to poverty, poor access to clean water and a dearth of skilled health-care providers in Haiti, half of pregnant women and up to 75 per cent of children under age 2 suffer from anemia, according to UNICEF. Life expectancy at birth is only 54 years. In terms of health care spending, Haiti ranks last in the western hemisphere. There are merely 25 physicians and 11 nurses per 100,000 people. Moreover, only one-fourth of births are attended by a skilled health professional. Most rural areas have no access to health care at all, making residents susceptible to otherwise treatable diseases.

This mission trip to Haiti may help give me clarity about God's purpose for me. Maybe it will help me get back in touch with why I chose a career in medicine in the first place. And, maybe it will simply help me to put things in perspective and realize how fortunate I really am. 

I am truly thankful for all the support I have received from my family, friends and church. I cannot thank you enough.


Ealena


A Life of Obedience
Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries Website


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Beat Malaria

Support for the mission trip is really coming in! I'm so touched by the response of my family and friends. When I went home this past weekend, I was showered with much-needed supplies for my trip. I've gotten flashlights, water purifying tablets, a personal fan and a walkie-talkie! I also got mosquito nets, mosquito repellent and clothing that has already been treated with mosquito repellent. So, malaria - I'm ready for a fight!

Nearly one million people die of malaria every year. But, as we learn from George Clooney's bout with the disease, it doesn't have to be deadly if one has access to proper treatments. Clooney himself simply took medications for the disease, which includes flu-like symptoms such as shaking, the chills and fever and is carried by infected mosquitoes.

"This illustrates how with proper medication, the most lethal condition in Africa can be reduced to a bad ten days instead of a death," Clooney said.

International Medical Relief (IMR) provides critical education on how to prevent malaria as well as medicines for victims with malaria. Your donations can help save a life by allowing IMR to provide medicines for malaria victims and education on how to prevent getting malaria in the future by using bed nets, eliminating mosquito larva and much more.

Thanks to the generous donations of friends and family, I now have just about everything I need to protect myself from malaria. And everything from my original Amazon.com wish list has been donated. So, I went and made a new one! At this point, the team has begun tallying up donated supplies and many things are still missing. So, the new Amazon.com wish list is mostly made up of clinic supplies and medications. Please check out the new list and see if you can help.

Many thanks,

Ealena

Amazon.com Haiti Trip Wish List

Got my shots for the trip - OUCH! And not only because it feels like I've been punched really hard in each shoulder and can barely lift my arms, but also because they cost almost $300!

On a more serious note, the CDC recommends that travelers to Haiti get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and Typhoid - both are diseases that can be transmitted by ingestion of contaminated food and water. And clean water in Haiti can be hard to come by.

According to the CDC, even before the January 2010 earthquake devastated much of Port-au-Prince, many Haitians lived without access to basic water and sanitation services. According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program, only 71% of Haitians living in urban settings had access to an improved drinking water source—household connection, public standpipe, borehole, protected dug well, protected spring, or rainwater collection. Access for rural Haitians was even lower –only 55%. 

In addition, Haitians had limited access to resources that could turn any of these water sources into safe drinking water. Haitians' access to improved sanitation—connection to a public sewer or septic system, pour-flush latrine, simple pit latrine or ventilated improved pit latrine—was even more limited. Only 24% of urban Haitians had access to improved sanitation. Of Haitians living in rural Haiti (53% of the total population), only 51% had any type of sanitation coverage; an estimated 49% of rural Haitians rely on open defecation.

Around the world, thousands of children die every day of water-related diseases. Your gift to support my mission trip to Haiti can help save children from parasites, worms, dysentery, cholera and other life threatening diseases that they can get from contaminated water. Help us to provide life saving education on how to clean water and water purification techniques that can be used everywhere.


Thanks,
Ealena 

IMR helps thousands in need

International Medical Relief (IMR) started working in Haiti four days after the devastating earthquake in 2010. The catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leveling thousands of structures and killing hundreds of thousands of people. That year alone IMR sent 14 medical teams and 483 volunteers who treated nearly 28,000 patients.


In 2011, IMR continued to work in Haiti, especially as many NGO's were pulling out. The need for medical care still continues to be great. Demand for resources increased dramatically once the cholera outbreak began in October 2010. 

Patients waiting to be seen at IMR clinic

Throughout 2011 and 2012, IMR will complete 12 more trips. From 2,000 to 4,000 patients are treated on each trip depending on the size and composition of the team. 


Today, more than 550,000 people still live in the tent cities set up throughout the Haitian capital. Schools are being rebuilt, and some residents are now beginning to move out of the encampments, rediscovering a sense of community. But jobs and a sense of security remain elusive and cholera remains endemic. 

 

Here are some examples of how the volunteer team can use your donations. Every little bit helps.

Many thanks,

Ealena

$5	Mosquito-repellant
$10	Bottle of multivitamins
$10	One box of latex gloves
$12	International Medical Insurance
$15	Digital thermometer and probe covers
$20	Walkie Talkie
$30	TravelSheet/SleepSack
$30	Carry-on bag fee
$33	Fee for 1st checked bag
$40	Fee for 2nd checked bag
$35	Mosquito Bed Net Here's an easy way to make a donation. Use this button to access PayPal (I'm esc281@mac.com). Thanks for your generosity and support. Ealena