Growing pains

Right now i feel more tired than i can believe. i cant tell if it is age or just tiredness from working such a long day. Today we continued to have meetings from early morning until 5 minutes ago. We have a new security as well as strategic plan. We have been stretched to our limit with the original organization plan and now we need to move forward. Haiti is always challenging but now it is also so much more complicated with the continued growth. 

This week English classes taught by Jimmy and Holly, two interns, continue to flourish and grow. Now we have to work on a more permanent model. 

Patrick, a long term intern, continues to amaze us will his ability to fix everything and come up with new ideas. 

Zach , another intern, continues to work on would care and in the emergency room. 

Lizzy, back from vacation seems to back to normal already . 

The team is doing a great job. 

In the morning I leave for Guatemala. This has been as successful trip. We also received great news that Michele in the US office had a baby boy today, one month early. Mom and baby are doing well. 

VBS Day 2

Today VBS continued, this time with Blanchard kids in the morning and afternoon. The medical crew continued their hard work in the clinic. I was in meetings all day but I could hear the joyful voices of the VBS kids singing from the office.

Monday in Antigua

Yesterday I traveled to Antigua with our five cleft lip / palate children and their moms for consultation with a surgeon. We are going to start using Dr. Asensio for the operations instead of relying on medical teams coming down so that we have more continuity of care for the kids.

I met up with the women in central park and we piled into two cars and headed towards Antigua. I had a chance to talk with Dr. Asensio and share about the work that P.I.D. does and he was very generous in setting a low price for the surgeries. He saw each of the patients and we now have a treatment plan with what comes next for each child. I learned a lot about cleft lips and palates and all the necessary steps to fully repair the damage.

After the consultation we took the ladies out to lunch at Pollo Campero. Then we visited a local church where each of women prayed asking God for help and health for their child. It was a very nice thing to be a part of.

Carlos looking super cool in my shades

Carlos with his mom Maria and Paula with her mom Paula

Me with Maria Cristina and Wilfredo - our youngest cleft lip baby

Me with Kevin and his mom Juana and Estefany

Busy first day

Today was the team's first day of work. Everyone got a clinic tour and met all our staff. The VBS started with Cite Soleil kids. It was supposed to be 75 kids in the morning and 75 in the afternoon, but somehow we ended up with 110 kids in the morning. The team rose to the challege and made it through doing a great job running the program under the new circumstances. In the afternoon, we took 40 local kids for the second session. The kids had lots of fun playing, singing, learning, and enjoyed a meal.
The clinic group worked hard today right off the bat. They all worked together doing wound care for a diabetic patient with a very bad leg ulcer, and right after for a burn victim from a moto accident.

Team arrives early and late

Most of the team arrived early this morning with 3 more travelers arriving this afternoon. All are safe and sound and in bed. Tomorrow Zach will rise early 

To make cinnamon rolls and then the team will leave to go to church on the way to the beach. 

More news tomorrow when I am not so sleepy. 

Dental chair arrives in Haiti

New Team

The new team arrived this morning safe and on time. They will be working mostly with children with a vocational bible school program. However, a few will work in the clinic and anyone is always welcomed to join the construction crew.

Also, we finally have a real dental chair. It came in today with two barrels of supplies. The 800 lbs chair did present a challenge to move but with some great teamwork and a bit of muscle, we got it into the clinic.

Written by Patrick

Back in Haiti

Well I arrived safely . It was business as usual at the airport, everyone fighting over who gets to carry the bags. Big came to the rescue. 

Within a 1/2 hour we had a directors meeting . We are working on new plans to meet the growing needs of PID. Dr Paul is a great asset to the clinic. 

Tomorrow the team will arrive. Holly and 

Jim will teach a water filter class. Zach will continue with medicine . Lizzy and I will shop and plan the week. 

Update from the US office

This has been a great summer with great interns in the US , Haiti and Guatemala. 

Martha has retired as Benefit coordinator, 

Even thought she will continue to help. 

So In addition to the interns individual assignments, they are helping get ready for the annual Benefit. We have a lot of organizing to you and will miss Martha's organization. 

I am getting ready to leave for a trip to Haiti and Guatemala on Friday. As always there are many challenges in Haiti as well as good news. I look forward seeing the results of the parasite study. 

Finishing up a great week in Guatemala

Over the weekend we spent some time visiting different places here in Guatemala. On Saturday we went to the Mayan Ruins Tak'alik Ab'aj and got to see a modern day spiritual guide performing a ceremony on one of the ancient altars. On Sunday we drove to Antigua to have a tour of the city and do some shopping.

Monday and Tuesday were spent finishing up well child checks at the schools. Tomorrow they will be seeing patients at the clinic.

Well Child Check-ups in Desierto

Today the nurses headed over to Desierto to do well child check-ups on the kids in the school.

After a yummy lunch of spaghetti and hamburger Joni and Linda set off with Rachael and Maria Jose to venture into the village to get the consent of parents for their children to participate in the study. Julie and her daughter Audrey stayed here at the clinic to see some patients. 

Meli and Leybi getting Hemoglobins on all the kids checking for anemia

Linda examining a student

Julie listening to a student's heart and lung sounds.

They have arrived!

The three nurses and one nursing student arrived safely this morning. Three of them flew overnight from CA and landed early this morning and the other one arrived last night in Guatemala City and stayed overnight at a hotel.

They arrived at the clinic around 10am and had a tour of the village and learned a little about what PID does here.

After a delicious lunch of chicken with a creamy loroco sauce with rice and tortillas we loaded into my car and I dropped them off at the hotel. They will rest this afternoon and we'll have dinner together later on.

This week they will be doing well child check-ups for the kids in two of the schools. It is going to be busy, but fun!

Team UConn's Last Day

Today was Team UConn's last day of construction. We continued the work on the interior of the second house in Canaan. The team put more cement on the walls and helped the Haitian workers finish up the smoothing process. Some members also helped sift the sand and rock mixture. We were very happy to help in the construction process and loved learning how it works here in Haiti.

                                                             The smoothing process

                                                      Separating the sand from the rocks

A few members stayed back to help out at the clinic and the orphanage. They helped count and sort some medication at the clinic. Later on, they went to the orphanage to help feed the children and have some physical interaction with them. This group also were grateful for the opportunity to work with the children here.

Written by Patrick and Kasia

Busy Day

Today the team split into two groups. One group headed to Canaan to work on construction. The roof of the second house was put on over the weekend so the team could start the finishing touches. Some members mixed concrete and carried it to the workers. Others smoothed on fine concrete onto the interior walls of the house. This was a very tedious process and it took a while for the team to catch on to the method.

The other group stayed in Blanchard and went over to the local orphanage. They did physical therapy with the children and helped feed them lunch.

Written by Kasia and Patrick

Leisure Sunday

Today was the first day that work was not a part of the agenda. As a result of Centeilla (our excellent cook) being given the day off, Patrick was responsible for preparing our meal. However, after noticing how Patrick cracked the eggs, Trace and Susan decided that they would take over (smile). To his credit, Patrick did brew two awseome pots of coffee. Following breakfast, a few members of the group attended a local church service at a PID staff member's church. Although many of us were unable to understand the words, we were all equally moved by the devout faith and devotion pouring from the congregation in a small cement building of worship. Several of the team members felt that this experience provided them with an authentic cultural experience and a look into the faith that has provided the Haitian people with hope and a perseverance to continue in a difficult world.

D'Andra Orey (Professor, Jackson, MS)
After returning from church service, we all loaded up on a bus and headed to the beach. When passing our work site, we noticed that a shiny new roof had been placed on the house that we were working on. It was extremely exciting to see the progress that has been made in less then a full week of work. When driving in the direction of the beach it quikly became obvious that the infra structure was much better when compared to the roads in the Port-au -Prince area. Upon our return, we headed South in the direction of Petion-Ville to get pizza. As we traveled, we began to notice a vast improvement in the buildings (e.g., aesthetics of the business building such as banks). It what one could describe as a tale of two mountains, the mountain area immediately above our work grounds is populated with people living in dilapidated houses who were displaced immediately following the earthquake. The further we drove in the direction of the northern mountains, the more wealthy it became. To be sure, it was refreshing to see the wealth possesed by a few elites. However, upon returning to Blanchard, reality set in, and we will be back to work on Monday morning, in our efforts to help improve the living conditions of those in the North.

Kalen Orey (19, college student from Jackson, MS)
Trying to deal with driving that is not commonly found in the U.S., it was quite difficult getting aquainted with being in busy traffic and hearing loud horns. As we arrived at the beach, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the view of the ocean's clear water was. The brightness of the green palm trees fell rite in with the color. Coming from a state such as Mississippi, I have noticed that there are similar situations. With that being said, seeing big buildings that have well paying jobs but surrounded by low income neighborhoods that some people can barely pay rent in is somewhat depressing.

Jake Salter (17 year old high school student from Portland, Maine)
A combination of breathtaking views and clear refreshing ocean water reminded the group what a beautiful place Haiti remains despite the incredible poverty and unfortunate disasters. As we left the Port au Prince area, the housing (if you can even call it that) became less dense and more developed. It is depressing to see the amount of excess most live in when so many have so little.

Lazy Saturday

Today the very skilled Haitian workers were putting the roof on the house so we (the unskilled-but-big-hearted volunteers) couldn't be inside the house under construction. We therefore spent the morning lolling around our PID home, living on island time. We passed away the hours by playing with kids, holding babies, painting the clinic wall, hanging up a sign, inventing new sandwiches (whoulda thunk a PBJ could be enhanced by avocado?) and meeting our sponsor-children.

After the valiant, ever-patient Pouchon fixed the truck, we piled in for an eye-popping tour of Port-au-Prince. While we've all heard about the misery of Cite Soleil (an infamous slum of PAP) or the earthquake, it was powerful to see for ourselves (from a safe distance, dear families) the tent city or sagging buildings. As we progressed through the port area, we saw the crazy-hectic market and then arrived in the more serene downtown area.

We pulled up to the National Museum of Haitian History and entered into an air-conditioned paradise of Haitian history. The group was stunned to discover such impressive relics as the anchor (yes, the real anchor!) from the Santa Maria that landed in Haiti in 1492. As we learned about the history of the Haitian people (who were the first to successfully establish an independent republic in the New World), we were all moved and impressed by the resilience and spirit of this nation.

Our excursion to Port-au-Prince ended with a visit to the tourist market where one vendor after another tries to convince you to buy their merchandise even though the exact same inventory is available at the stand next door. Some loved the haggling (Jake), others not so much (Becky) but we all came away with paintings, masks and other memorabilia for ourselves or to present to our loved ones back home.

Our long, hot day finished up with a fine meal of rice and beans, a rousing game of cards with some of the local kids and then a refreshing rain storm that leaves us all enjoying the break from the intense heat. We're looking forward to our day at the beach tomorrow and then a return to the construction site for our final two days of work before we wrap up our Haitian adventure.

written by Patrick and Trace

Mm Mm Good!

Hello world!

Today the team had an awesome day working. The third home foundation is almost completed and tomorrow we are going to start filling in the holes and start building some walls. Our new team members, Trace and Jake are wonderful workers. Jake was the first person to pick up a pickaxe and start working. He actually won first prize for the best picker of the day! The haitians were extremely satisfied with his work and love his dedication and endurance.

Two UConn team members stayed behind to work in the clinic's pharmacy to help organize the medicine supplies and observe the day to day job of the clinical staffs.

Dinner was delicious, as always. We had fried chicken, rice and beans soup, and beet salad. Yum, yum!

Until next time,
XOXO

Written by Patrick and Carline :)

A great ending to an awesome team

Yesterday was the last day of working in the village for the Greely High School team. They completed the walls of the bathroom, finished painting three houses and started on a fourth house. In the clinic the doctors saw over 250 patients during the course of the week. The soccer clinic was a huge success and all the kids who participated had a blast!

We had our last meeting after dinner and then they loaded into the vans to head to Guatemala City where they stayed overnight and got up for an early flight back home.

This team was really great to work with! They accomplished a whole lot and had great attitudes about everything. And no one got sick!!

CHANTAL BREEZE

Hello world! Today we returned to Canaan and broke ground for the, count em... THIRD HOUSE! (while construction on the second house continues). Thomas, with his huge muscles paired with tiny tank tops, spent all day on his abs... I mean sifting. As a team, we are pretty easy on the eyes. Today, Chantal dribbled sparingly. On us. 'Twas nice. Once again we found that everything Americans do, Haitians can do better. This was especially true for the pick-axe jobs, as two team members, Becky and D'Andre, who normally hold the entire group together, were fired (politely) three times each. OH yeah. There were goatties (aka goats aka cute aka too cute to boot). One had an umbilical cord hanging from its belly. But that means it was young enough to be fuzzy and adorbs. OVER AND OUT. Peace out.<3 <3




Written by Pattie with a tiny bit help from Becky (<3)

First Day of Construction

Today the UConn team went to the construction site for a half day of work. They formed a chain and transported concrete for the building of a new PID house. They also moved stones out of the way for the next foundation to be started.

Holly and Jimmy did inventory of medicine in a depot and also taught two English classes.

Our other intern Zach came to Haiti today. He will be here for six weeks.

Written by Patrick & Kasia (it was all Kasia).

Update from Haiti

Today the UCONN team arrived safely. They went on the PID house tour and unpacked and inventoried the PID bags. They are ready to get to work doing construction at Canaan.
Jimmy and Holly arrived this week as well. They are working construction during the day and teaching English at night. They are getting some good turn outs with students so far.
Lizzy will leave tomorrow to go visit her family.
Written by Patrick

Beautiful Sunny Day in Antigua

On Saturday the team worked half a day in the village and then went to visit the Mayan Ruins of Tak'alik Ab'aj. The enjoyed learning about the site from their enthusiastic tour guide.

On Sunday some of the team got up early to attend the 8 am mass at the catholic church in downtown San Antonio. After that they met up with the other bus to drive to Antigua Guatemala. When we arrived we ate PB&J sandwiches for lunch and had some time to go shopping at the local handicraft market.

In the afternoon we went on a bus tour around Antigua. It was a beautiful afternoon and the team had fun seeing and learning about the history of Antigua.

**EMERGENCY CHILD**GUATEMALA**

We have a little boy who is in need of an EMERGENCY SPONSORSHIP

Name: Oscar Emilio Sacalxot Chanay
DOB: December 19th, 2009
#97


Oscar Emilio is 3 ½ years old and weighs only 15 pounds. He came into our clinic severely malnourished and with diarrhea. He appears to have downs syndrome and can’t walk or talk. Oscar has one older brother who is five and one younger brother so is 1 ½ years old. He and his brothers live with their parents and their paternal grandparents in a one room house made of concrete and wooden boards with a cement floor and a tin roof. Oscar’s father works as a day laborer at a nearby sugar can factory. They are renting the land where their house is located. The family eats beans, rice, eggs and pasta with tortillas. Oscar needs the help of two sponsors to help provide him with nutritional support and physical therapies so he can learn to walk and talk.  

Painting and playing soccer

Today the paint crews continued work on the clinic and Gloria's house. I stopped by to visit and take a few pictures.

our clinic getting a fresh coat of paint

working hard at Gloria Suhul's house

little Jackelyn helping to stir the paint

I also stopped by the soccer clinic and got to see some of the drills the girls were doing. They all seemed to be having fun!

A great first day

The team had a nice start to their week here in Guatemala. Once they arrived at the clinic I took them on a walk through the village to see some of the houses that PID has built and to get a better feel for the village and how the people are living.

The clinic was busy today with three doctors seeing patients. I had some helpers in the back room organizing the donated supplies and making bags so that each patient left with a little goodie bag after seeing the doctor.

The painting crews started working on the clinic and Gloria Suhul's house. Our construction team started digging the foundation for a bathroom for Vanessa's family.

The soccer clinic had two groups of girls today - in the morning and afternoon. The teenage boys from the team said that they were surprised by the skill and enthusiasm of the village girls.

So many vitamins!

Meli is super excited about all the vitamins that they team brought down =)

A Rainy Arrival

The team from Maine (with a few others thrown into the mix) arrived safely this evening. They got settled in the hotel, ate a nice dinner and we had a very short meeting to go over the most basic rules. It was a little hard to do introductions because the rain was so loud and you could barely hear yourself think. I guess we'll have to do names again in the morning.

This group will be painting some PID houses, painting the clinic, building a bathroom for a PID family and seeing patients at the clinic. It will be a busy week!