Time for a little update

There has been so much happening these last three weeks that I hardly have the energy to write about it all so I will do my best. First thing’s first. I’m back in the states and when I’m not meeting with deans, doctors or prospective volunteers about Haiti, I’m spending as much time as possible with my family. It was just recently my best friend’s, niece’s, mom’s and brother’s birthday. So, I’ve had a lot of celebrating to do. Since being back, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my last few months in Haiti and was forced to articulate my experiences to friends, family and others. This is what I dreaded about coming back here. The entire plane ride, I rehearsed what it is I would tell people. I practiced over and over and struggled to find the perfect words to describe what I’ve felt, witnessed and experienced. By the time I landed in Boston, I had a nice size spiel put together that I had planned to use for everyone I was going to encounter on this short 11 day visit. I sit here today, realizing that I’ve yet to say a single sentence from that spiel I’d spent so long practicing. I’ve had no problem talking about Haiti. When the opportunity arises, I can’t stop talking about the country and the people that I’ve fallen head over heels for.

There is so much to say about the “situation” in Haiti. Everyone has their own opinion as to what happened to the country that once had the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean and is now the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. How is it that this story has gone untold for so long? Why is it that billions of dollars later, it remains the poorest country? As of 2006, Haiti had the largest concentration of NGOs (non- governmental organizations) and NPOs ( non-profit organizations) of any other country in the world and also held the record for receiving the most charitable aid of any other country in the world. We’re talking about billions of dollars a year, and nearly 10,000 NGOs and NPOs in Haiti. It goes without saying, but there’s something seriously wrong with this picture.

Still no internet

I just rode into town on the motorcycle to put up a quick post letting everyone know that we still don't have any internet and that I'm doing fine. I'll be leaving Les Cayes on Monday to begin a day-long journey to Deschapelles to visit the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. Providing all goes well, I should be back in Cayes by Wednesday afternoon.

A quick update on Lixier, the baby boy with hydroencephalitis: He was scheduled to fly back to Haiti with his mom today but the plans were canceled because he recently fell ill again. The doctors believe that he's experiencing complications with the shunt that they put in his head and are debating whether or not they need to remove it and replace it with another. I'll continue to spread the news as I get it!

There are no more bed bugs in the 20 children's homes! The malaria project starts on Monday with all of the treated window screens being made for all of the houses. I'm trying to apply for some grants but am limited with internet access. If you can help to sponsor a house for the project, it would be greatly appreciated. The following is the cost breakdown for a single house :

Insecticide spraying every 3 months for 1 year= $20
Insecticide treated screen windows =$150
Rock pathways and buffers around the house to eliminate standing water=$110
Labor costs=$70

For $350, you could help me to drastically reduce the incidence of malaria for the 25-40 children that live in each house.

You can send a donation to

THEO'S WORK, INC.

2303 WEST MARKET STREET

GREENSBORO, NC 27403
Memo: Will's Medical Mission

Donations are tax-deductible in the U.S.

Or

You can donate with a credit card at the website (theoswork.org) and designate the donation to "Will's Medical Mission," and just follow up your donation with an email to inquiries@freethekids.org to confirm that your donation was received!

Thank you so much for your help. I promise to post a more complete update as soon as I get a more stable internet connection!

Going home

While we have had electricity, the internet has been out for the last week after our satellite mysteriously fell out of the sky. I’m in town at a hotel using their wireless now just long enough to let everyone know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. I’ll send out an update as soon as we get our internet connection back.

I’ll be flying into Boston on Aug. 14th for the birthday of my niece, mom and brother. I’ll be staying in Providence from the 15th to the 24th and will be flying back to Haiti on the 25th. This will be a great chance to stock up on needed meds and supplies for the clinic, do some fundraising and visit a few people that I’ve been missing very much. I can’t wait to see my family. I’m counting down the days.

Bringing ballroom to Haiti!

I decided to get a bunch of the kids together to teach some Salsa and Merengue lessons. Seeing as how we were a little short on girls, most of the guys were forced to practice with each other. They didn’t mind much though. For about two hours, the place came alive with Latin music that could be heard from down the road. It didn’t take long, however, until the music changed to hip hop and the kids began to show off some of their own moves! The group quickly grew to several dozen of all ages. It was a great time. It gave me goose bumps watching some of them dance. Once the music comes on, it’s as if they come alive, even the quietest boy.

Now, there are a ton of kids who want to learn more. I'm going to begin working with a few of them to choreograph a ballroom/latin piece that they can perform. Though this may seem a little strange teaching ballroom in rural Haiti, the reality is that Haitians played an important role in the creation of mambo/chacha along with Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Also, have you ever heard of Jean Michel Erole? He's Haitian and a world professional ballroom dancer!

Yesterday, a bunch of us ignored the T-storm warnings and embarked on an hour trip out to see my first waterfall. As you can see from the picture, it was beautiful. There's a 25 ft and a 50 ft jump off point on the rockwall into a deep pool of cold water. It was a great day with great weather. When I wasn't swimming, I spent most of my time just sitting on a rock trying to take note of everything around me. I've never seen such a sight. The river flowed for miles with thick forest on both sides and trees leaning so far in as to cover the river. It reminded me of something out of Jurassic Park.

Weber, spraying one of the children's houses with insecticide. He helps out around the clinic and wants to be a doctor. He'll be joining the public health team I'm putting together.

Bed bugs and Malari

We’re about 75% done with the bed bug project in the southern village of the orphanage (20 houses). I have a group of five dedicated boys who wake up early each morning to help me with the spraying and caulking of the houses. Most of them are in the English class that I teach, so we use the time working together to practice their English and my Creole. The work we’re doing is not easy but we keep it interesting by exchanging jokes and proverbs all day to help pass the time. I like to surprise them with ice cold Cokes and snacks on the long days. Once we finish with the bed bugs, I’d like to get started with the malaria prevention program, getting screens put up around the houses, bringing in the treated bed sheets and putting up the rock buffers around the children’s homes. The total cost of implementing the program will run about $350/house. We’ve got a total of 35 houses to fix up with two houses sponsored so far. Please let me know if you’d like to sponsor a home.

Malaria is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. In areas of high malaria transmission, such as Haiti, the population develops partial immunity to the parasite. However, children remain most at risk for malaria because they have not yet developed immunity, which happens over time from repeated bites from infected mosquitoes. Many children in malaria-endemic countries such as Haiti are anemic, with a low level of red blood cells. An anemic child is more at risk for malaria and for developing severe anemia. Malaria destroys red blood cells, leaving an already anemic child with little, if any, resources to fight the disease.

Forty-one percent of the world's population live in areas where malaria is transmitted (e.g., parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Hispaniola, and Oceania). Each year 350–500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over one million people die, most of them young children. In 2002, malaria was the fourth cause of death in children in developing countries, after perinatal conditions (conditions occurring around the time of birth), lower respiratory infections (pneumonias), and diarrheal diseases. Malaria caused 10.7% of all children's deaths in developing countries.