Today , I worked at the clinic in Zunilto. It is a beautiful area on a mountain with coffee and...

Today , I worked at the clinic in Zunilto. It is a beautiful area on a mountain with coffee and banana plantations. Everyone works during the harvest time even the kids. Today I worked on one of my favorite projects in Guatemala ,” the parasite study.” Amazingly they are virtually parasite free. At the end of the morning, about 12 mothers had waited outside , then came back in. They came to thank us ( PID)for helping their children to get healthy. I felt humbled because their gratitude was so huge and we really have done so little.

Today we continued going through the list of items to be accomplished on this trip. Had a short...

Today we continued going through the list of items to be accomplished on this trip. Had a short meeting with kids and parents in the new English program . They are so excited. Met a sad boy of 14 years old today. He lives with his mom in a tiny ( size of a car) house of random wood she collected. He left to try to make money to help his mom and ended up getting hurt and not getting paid for working for two weeks. He is 14 and his father died within the last 2 years. He is trying hard to finish school but is still at 2nd grade level. Our Guatemalan staff rose to the task and have taken him under their wing. They will begin tutoring him and helping find odd jobs around the clinic so he and his mom can eat everyday.

Today we got a lot of organizational stuff finished in between kids and a Spanish church service. I...

Today we got a lot of organizational stuff finished in between kids and a Spanish church service. I am happy to report that my suitcase arrive early this morning.

Today was such a fun day!! Made bread in the shape of...

Today was such a fun day!! Made bread in the shape of animals
And started our dinosaur garden with my four grandchildren in Guatemala.

Well after waiting for 3 extra hours to take off , we were stuck on the runway in Boston. Missed...

Well after waiting for 3 extra hours to take off , we were stuck on the runway in Boston. Missed connecting flight. Took 7:45 flight to Guatemala arrived with promises of my bags arriving with me. One came on did not. Not a great showing for the airlines.

So far not looking good. Flight delayed 2 and 1/2 hours , will miss connecting. Wondering if I...

So far not looking good. Flight delayed
2 and 1/2 hours , will miss connecting. Wondering if I should just try again tomorrow?

Leaving for Guatemala in the morning. Can’t wait to see the new clinic .

Leaving for Guatemala in the morning.
Can’t wait to see the new clinic .

Well, exciting day. Three days into the small business classes in Haiti and it is going well. Lizzy...

Well, exciting day. Three days into the small business classes in Haiti and it is going well. Lizzy called and asked about going back to Haiti again. Molly arrived in Guatemala yesterday to take Spanish classes before she goes to
Work in the village.

Getting ready to do a presentation at Zumi’s on Weds night. Got computers for the new tutoring...

Getting ready to do a presentation at Zumi’s on Weds night. Got computers for the new tutoring program in Guatemala !! Two interns leave for Guatemala in the next two weeks. One intern leaves for Haiti for two months.
Three new interns get ready to work in the US office.

Today the team met Wekenson , they all feel in love with him. He stayed all day and by time they...

Today the team met Wekenson , they all feel in love with him. He stayed all day and by time they pick him up he had 10 new English words in his vocabulary. The Damien and Canaan people start small business classes together tomorrow. It is an exciting day.
Finished all the paperwork for the public clinic( 7 booklets 250 pages each) !! Two years of work finally finished.
The team leaves tomorrow and so do Michele and I. Last trip I finished a baby quilt for our newest grandbaby. I am ashamed to say that I started it 4 grandchildren ago.

Today we pushed forward. Stump two out of the ground. Foundation for the offices begun so that we...

Today we pushed forward. Stump two out of the ground. Foundation for the offices begun so that we can have two more medical rooms. More blocks made, house foundation filled. Clinic went live with data entry today. Joot just had ten he didn’t finish. Bags of shoes and clothes went to Canaan. All small business participants from Damien and Canaan will begin classes on Thursday. The classes will be 1/2people from Damien and 1/2 from Canaan. This way the Damien people will meet the Canaan people before they move there. Coming in June a mixed children’s program so kids can meet and play together before the move.

Finally got the stump out of the ground. Almost ready to start digging the foundation. Many people...

Finally got the stump out of the ground. Almost ready to start digging the foundation. Many people working many hours to dig, chop, rake and smash the stump out. Really hot today. Got so much office organizing today. Launched
The new access database for the patients at the clinic.

Today we went to the mass grave and And saw the marshes across the street turning black. Questioned...

Today we went to the mass grave and
And saw the marshes across the street turning black. Questioned whether methane gas was contaminating the water table. Hope not. Went to a little church on the way to the beach and then to Canaan, the mountain tent city to visit two newly sponsored kids. We are excited because 13 kids were sponsored between Haiti and Guatemala , with 3 more on hold in the last week.

Today we worked 1/2 day , had a very emotional going away party for Lizzy . She leaves tomorrow...

Today we worked 1/2 day , had a very emotional going away party for Lizzy . She leaves tomorrow after 5 months in Haiti. We went downtown to see the earthquake sites. Drove by the palace to see the inauguration . It was finished by time we got there. But it was nice to see the inauguration set up. On the way home we visited the tent city. We saw many sick kids and the conditions look so much worse than last year . Tents are older and torn. People are tired and discouraged. Can’t wait to get small businesses and houses going. Spent evening talking with the group. Lizzy did an interview for the UIU college newspaper. Fireworks are going off in celebration of the new president as we finally call it a day.

We are seeing more malnutrition and dehydration in babies and little kids. Free water is no longer...

We are seeing more malnutrition and dehydration in babies and little kids. Free water is no longer available.

Michele arrived safely. The team worked hard and finished the floor of the house, they made blocks,...

Michele arrived safely. The team worked hard and finished the floor of the house, they made blocks, and worked on taking out tree stumps for the next foundation. Tomorrow mckensie leaves:-( . She did a great interview with a family in Damien.

The team from University of Upper Iowa has arrived safely. This is the last team that Lizzy will...

The team from University of Upper Iowa has arrived safely. This is the last team that Lizzy will lead . She leaves on Sun. She is so sad to leave and the Haitians are so sad to see her go.

Today we went to Canaan in the morning to meet again. We are excited that we have 2 of the canaan...

Today we went to Canaan in the morning to meet again. We are excited that we have 2 of the canaan kids sponsored with 4 more pending since Tuesday. We want to have all 20 sponsored by mid June and 5 more from Damien ( the tent city at the pig farm) .

Here in Haiti struggling with the bug net. It is nice to see all the new beds and mattresses and...

Here in Haiti struggling with the bug net. It is nice to see all the new beds and mattresses and mosquito nets. Tomorrow we will go to Canaan and have the next meeting.

Gale arrived in Haiti today. We are planning to go to Canaan tomorrow to take a look at the land and...

Gale arrived in Haiti today. We are planning to go to Canaan tomorrow to take a look at the land and meet with the leaders.
We had a very sick little boy today come in to our clinic today with a high fever and diarrhea. He was seen, given medicine, and sent home. He returned later because his temperature had spiked to 104. He was given more medicine and within a half hour his temp went down to 99.9, low enough to send him home. He will come back tomorrow to the clinic to make sure he is ok.

Off to Haiti . University of Upper Iowa is Returning this year to do construction.

Off to Haiti . University of Upper Iowa is
Returning this year to do construction.

Today we went to Damien to work on some child sponsorship letters. It was great to see the children...

Today we went to Damien to work on some child sponsorship letters. It was great to see the children taking pride and getting excited to draw pictures for their sponsors. But at the same time it is always difficult going there because their situation is so tough.

Been so busy getting ready for Haiti trip on Weds forget to post. Canaan is high on the list of...

Been so busy getting ready for Haiti trip on Weds forget to post. Canaan is high on the list of work to get started
Once we arrive. New updates soon.

The roof is finished!! It looks great, the team did an amazing job! Today the team went to Damien....

The roof is finished!! It looks great, the team did an amazing job!

Today the team went to Damien. It was a very special day for everyone. Some of them got to see the child they sponsor and pray for his family, and someone got to sponsor a new child. The team also got to meet some of the children of the lady who died of cancer who will move into one of the houses they worked on. The team worked a very grueling week at the construction site, and today they were able to see first hand the difference they have made by meeting some of the people who will benefit from all of their hard work and dedication to PID’s mission.

We also went to Canaan. The committee members took us to see the land that we will be able to build houses on, and took us for a walk up the mountain. We finished our day with a tour of Port-au-Prince.

The team’s roof is coming along great. They are also working on filling in the floor of the...

The team’s roof is coming along great. They are also working on filling in the floor of the other house with rocks and sand as well as sifting. This team works so hard.

Tonight I spoke to a group at UMass Dartmouth. They are working on a elderly program for Guatemalans...

Tonight I spoke to a group at UMass Dartmouth. They are working on a elderly program for Guatemalans and wanted me to
Talk about the elderly there. I met the Guatemalan consulate who was so nice and invited me to visit her in Rhode Island. The other Guatemalans
Hugged me and thanked me for helping Guatemala. I am so blessed to meet so
Many kind people in so many countries.

Field Notes: The PID Staff Blog 2011-05-04 21:56:31

Today the team began putting the roof on one of the houses. This is the first team ever to put a roof up and so far so good. They are doing a great job.

Our construction team is amazing! We have filled in the floor of the foundation of one house, and...

Our construction team is amazing! We have filled in the floor of the foundation of one house, and started on the other house already. We are working at an amazing pace! We are also preparing to put the roof on the other house. This team gets along so well and it is great to see how much we can get done.

We had a great first day on the construction site with the team. They are working very well together...

We had a great first day on the construction site with the team. They are working very well together with each other and with the Haitian construction crew, encouraging each other and sharing laughs. They made so much progress on the houses; it is very exciting!

I am always excited to work in the US office. Our volunteers range from age 11 to well past...

I am always excited to work in the US office. Our volunteers range from age 11 to well past retirement. All so committed to helping the poorest of the poor. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by such great people.

Today the team arrived safely in Haiti. The team consists of five guys who are skilled in...

Today the team arrived safely in Haiti. The team consists of five guys who are skilled in construction; they have a lot of work ahead of them this week!