Hi from Haiti. The sky was clear in the morning with a beautiful view of Pic la Selle to the west. But it is clouding up by mid morning. This is the weather pattern moving into rainy season. Sunny mornings with cloudy rainy afternoons. This makes it hard to keep the clinic batteries charged and we have to rely more on generators. We had a little Honda generator that was much too small for the job. We worked with a businessman from Thoman, just above Fond Parisien, to help us buy a diesel generator from Port au Prince. They agreed to accept a check from the clinic's Unibank account in Port. We haven’t been able to use this account since our access to Port has been cut off. There was enough money in it to cover the cost of the generator. The first generator we arranged to buy was still in customs when the driver went to get it. They weren’t sure when it would be available. So we arranged to buy another one that was at a depot in Port. The driver was delayed for a week due to the violence in Port, but was able to finally pick it up and get it to Thoman. I picked it up and brought it to the clinic on April 10. The next day I went to the border to pick up Matt and his son Bodie. They spent a very busy week here working on installing the generator and on repairs and maintenance for the clinic motos and vehicles. It rained almost every day they were here. But they were able to get a lot done despite the rain.
The rain is very welcome despite the nuisance as the cisterns were getting dry. It also made the gardens grow. The locals have a lot of hope pinned to this harvest as the road to Port is still open. The gangs are forcing drivers to pay around 80,000 ($625 USD) Haitian gourdes for a truck to get into Croix de Bouquets. Despite this, this is their best market to sell their produce. Pray the road can stay open. The people desperately need the money. The man who buys medications for us in Port was able to come up from Croix de Bouquets with medications. He tells me the gangs are fighting in downtown Port, leaving his area quieter. The gangs attacked Mirebalais last month and looted the hospital there. It is another blow to the health care system in Haiti as this was a good hospital that provided reasonably cheap service.
With the quieter situation in Croix de Bouquets, MSPP is holding a meeting this week. Mis Rachelle is our designated coordinator with MSPP. She asked if she could go. I told her I wouldn’t tell her yes or no, but let her decide if she felt safe enough. She decided to go and will come back this weekend. The other nurses have been busy both with normal consultations and emergencies. They delivered 8 babies this month, including a set of twins!
In the last months I talked about different needs the clinic has. For an ambulance and for a generator. We have been able to solve the generator problem. People have also made donations toward the ambulance. This is greatly appreciated. However, we need operating funds for medications and wages. Everything is more expensive. To get medications from Port is more expensive as the gangs extract a toll. The Dominicans have also increased the cost of importing medications. The spike of patients we have seen this year has increased the amount of medications we need to purchase. Our operating fund is very low and barely able to cover for May. If you can donate, please do so. The need is greater than ever. Thank you very much for your prayers and support.
The Link Below Will Take You to Our Donation Page
