Child of the Week! Aura Esmeralda

Aura Esmeralda Maldonado Perez #161

DOB: November 20, 2004
Waiting: 1 yr 6 months for sponsorship


Aura Esmeralda is almost 9 years old and is going into third grade next year at the school in Ixtacapa. She loves going to school and has very good grades. She has a younger brother who is five and a baby sister who was born in April 2012. Her father works as a driver and her mother is a housewife. Aura and her family live in a one room house made out of concrete blocks with a cement floor and a tin roof. The house does not have electricity, but they do have a bathroom. They eat tortillas for three meals a day with beans, pasta or eggs. 

Two more Emergency Children in Haiti

If you can help, call the office or visit http://www.pidonline.org/programs/child-sponsorships/emergency

*Please note the correct numbers are 842 & 843.

Wilfredo after his cleft lip surgery

'Tis the Season...

If you would like to give your sponsor child an extra Christmas gift this year, please make a modest monetary donation to the PID office and note "Christmas Gift" along with your child's name & number in the memo line. 

Please send in donations by December 1st to ensure delivery by Christmas.

For more information on giving gifts to sponsor children, call the office 978-380-6132 or visit:
http://www.pidonline.org/giving-gifts-to-sponsor-children

New Emergency Child in Haiti

If you can help, call the office or visit http://www.pidonline.org/programs/child-sponsorships/emergency

The black bayou in Glendora , Mississippi

Our very own chef!

Flor Puac has been sponsored for a few years and this year participated in our higher education sponsorship. She completed a one year program at a technical school to become a professional chef. On Saturday she had her final presentation and invited Miguel and I to attend. She made a complete meal - appetizer, main dish, dessert and drink. It was just like those cooking shows on TV! Her professors came out and "judged" her plates and asked her all sorts of questions like her technique, the ingredients and how many calories each plate had. She did such a great job and we were very impressed! And the food was delicious!!

Good grades deserve a trip to Burger King!

The school year in Guatemala goes from January - October. In order to receive their food and eggs in November, each child must bring in a copy of their report card so we can see how they did in school. The kids who had an average of 80% or higher received a special prize this year - a water bottle! Those who had 90% or above got to go out to lunch with me at Burger King last week as a way to celebrate their accomplishment.

 

Mississippi

Late this afternoon I will leave Haiti. This is yet another transition time for PID as I 

Continue to readjust my travel to pre earthquake schedule and to spend more time in our new location in Mississippi and Pine Ridge. It will be very nice to spend more time with my family. 

The staff in Haiti continues to grow and develop the programs one step at a time. 

We will be adding a new pharmacy person soon and working on some new lab tests. Today will be the first day of our new diabetic medicine access program. Because of limited medicine funding we can only offer 80 Diabetics free medications.  We came up with an idea to offer those on the waiting list an opportunity to buy the medicine at our costs. Samuel, Dr Paul and the staff are excited . It will cost each person $1.30 instead of $7.00 a month.  They will still have access to free care at the clinic 

And the other available meds . 

I look forward to beginning this new program in Glendora, Mississippi . This will be the first trip I will be able to give out more information. No more secrets- not that I was very good at it. 

Papers , papers & more papers

 As we computerize our files we need enter everything  in to the computer so we decided to try to catch up today. Only we decided we like this about as much as we like meetings- a necessity but not too well liked. What we really like is working with people! That always makes us smile. 

We are excited that our new dining hall is starting to go up. Our old one had to go. The new eating area will have screens , fans and a tin roof. 

We are preparing for the Christmas party

Team that will be coming on Dec 4th. 

The list of work is getting longer and we are happy they are such a big enthusiastic and experienced team. 

Haiti

Today we had many meetings! We all

Decided we don't really like meetings that much. 

Today I walked into the social service office to find Mr. Genois sobbing over a young boy who was from a family of five 

And couldn't go to school. I am always touched by the heart of Mr. Genois. 

Later a man from down south of PAP came in to ask if we could start a clinic in the south of Haiti. We just couldn't imagine it. 

Genois , Lizzy and I went to visit a very poor family living in one room house made of mud and sticks. 

For all the years I have worked in Haiti I expect I should be used to this but I am not. 

Wilfredo Emanuel

Yesterday Miguel and I traveled to Antigua to pick up Wilfredo from the hospital where he was operated a week ago. His mom was very happy to be reunited with her little guy and almost didn't recognize him when the nurse brought him out.

Estefany also received her cleft palate repair from Dr. Asensio in Antigua two weeks ago. The doctor saw her yesterday and says that everything looks great! Now we begin the process of her orthodontic work to prepare her for the bone insertion in six months.

The benefit and beyond

The Benefit was a great success. We will have the final results in about another week as a few donations and sales will continue to trickle in. We are close to reaching our goal of 50,000 but not quite there. 

If you would like to know more about the third country please go to the website to find the exact location of where we will be working in the US. 

I arrived in Haiti yesterday to a bit of sad news. Last week we received our first cholera case since 2010. The directors said very sick people came into the clinic last week but the staff was quick and efficient in dealing with it.

 Dr Paul maintain his regular smile as the staff gears up to do cholera teaching in the area. 

Dr Sem and Esther , our pharmacist , were married on Oct 26 . Esther will no longer be working at the clinic as they moved from the area. 

The Administration building continues to progress as the roof went up yesterday. 

It looks beautiful. We can't wait til it is finished. Then we will have added space for medical use. 

Alexia Mabeli - Child of the Week in Guatemala!

 Alexia Mabelí González Ola #655 Date of Birth: July 13, 2008. 

Alexia is five years old and has been waiting for a sponsor for almost two years! She has two younger sisters, one who is four years old and one who is two and a half years old. Her father works in the fields at a local farm and her mother is a housewife. Alexia lives with her parents and her sisters in a small house with a living room and a kitchen. The floor of the house is cement and there are wooden walls and a tin roof. The house has electricity, but no bathroom. Her father’s salary provides about $4.60 each day for the family of five. Alexia and her family eat tortillas for three meals a day with eggs, boiled herbs or beans.