Cite Soleil
Greetings!
Our Thursday looked a little bit different from yesterday…
as we began our day by delivering water to the poorest slum in the Western
Hemisphere. Water isn’t free, so Healing Haiti takes a water truck to a
“filling station” and fills a large tanker truck for about $25 US dollars. After the truck is full, we make a stop in a
neighborhood, filling buckets and containers with clean water. Typically, the children come running as soon
as they get sight of a Healing Haiti tap-tap.
This day was a bit different for those of us that have been on a water
truck trip before, as the crowds were much smaller than usual. Regardless of the size of the crowd, the
children still met us as we came down the steps of the tap-tap. These kids enjoy to play games with us,
including “hot hands” and hand-clapping rhythym games. Those children that know some English
typically ask what your name is and how old you are!
After quick showers and lunch at the guest house, we headed
back out to Titanyen, arriving in the heat of the day. Our teams again divided up, with one team
seeing a married couple and another team seeing sisters that live in close
proximity to each other. We also
doubled-back on 2 people that had been seen on our previous two days, with a follow-up
dressing change and a therapy visit for a recent hip surgery. We were pleased to see that a request of one
of the elders from a previous day was also being addressed, with a bedside
commode being delivered to his home. How
amazing Queen Jody looked as she rode on the “throne” in the back of the
Kubota!
Pierre was our gentleman that was assessed today. We had heard that Pierre likes to dance with
his visitors. After finishing his
social/mental questionaire, he was asked about his desire to dance. Our interpreter took his phone and played
some music, and boy, did Pierre ever begin to “cut a rug!” (His ability to hop up out of his chair and
dance sure did make his mobility assessment by PT an easy one!). After his PT assessment and nursing
assessment were completed, we all (social worker, PT, and RN) proceeded to
dance with him, including a brief period of trying out the Macarena!
At the house of one of the sisters, we had our two Titianyen
interpreters, MiCarlos and Josnell lead a worship song. They sang a beautiful song in Creole, and
many people near the family’s property were raising their hands and praising
God!
Then it was back to the guest house in Port Au Prince for
the traditional “Haitian food,”
consisting of chicken drumsticks, meatballs, plantains, and an
assortment of vegetables—bon gou!!
After dinner, we spent time with our whole team discussing
our day, then broke into our groups to discuss the needs of those assessed and
a possible plan for going forward. After
these group meetings were completed, we prepared for tomorrow, which will be to
host a 2-hour “health fair” in Fleri Bakery in Titanyen! We are planning blood pressure checks, wound
care, and instruction in basic stretching.
We bought food for the health fair and when there is food,
the people will come.
It is almost midnight here and as we finish this post and
reflect on the day it is overwhelming to think that just a few hours ago we
were providing clean water to a city known for free flowing sewage water in all
of the streets. Even for those of us who
have been to Haiti before and experienced the poverty, our hearts are burdened
with the reality that is Cite Soleil.
Pray with us for the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere and for all
the needs of our Elders. We look forward to updating you about our Health Fair.
Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday!.
With Love,
Your Elder Medical Missions Team
