Carline at work

Carline is a lead by example kind of person. She is learning about different medical programs by participating. Here are some shots of her and Samuel running the diabetic clinic last week. They talked about what works with the diabetes and hypertension programs and what could change and they got started on making some smaller changes for next week's clinic.

Update from Guatemala

Things here in Guatemala have been pretty low-key since the last group left.

I have been busy taking two sponsored children with hydrocephalus to their doctor's appointments in a city called Quetzaltenango which is about two hours away. The national hospital there has pediatric neurosurgeons.

Julie has arrived for her 10 month internship! She will once again be examining the efficacy of the de-worming medication that is given to children when they have parasites.

PID has also been able to help a few children receive surgeries for their cleft lip and palate.

Yaquelin with her sister a few weeks before her surgery

Yaquelin today - 2 weeks post-op

First few weeks!

Hi all,

I've been meaning to post here for a while but the first few weeks have been really busy... but truthfully, its also been really great. I arrived September 5th and Gale was down here shortly afterwards to train me and help me get adjusted. Some things about the role seem familiar to me since I interned for almost a year here while Lizzy Barnes was FD. But interning for Lizzy and watching her work is of course really different than actually working here in that role. :)

A couple of moments and pictures I wanted to share with you guys:

First, last Friday before Gale left threw a party introducing me as the new Field Director and JnOnes St Paul as the new Small Business Director. She made lasagna, salad, garlic bread and pineapple upside-down cake for all the staff.

Here are some pictures from the party introducing myself and Jn Ones as new directors:

Alexandra and Gale plating food for the staff. Sept 12, 2014.

Robert and Rosemarie (and Michaelange at left in background). Sept 12, 2014. 

Sept 12, 2014.

Sept 12, 2014.

Also while Gale was here PID hired the new Director of the Medical Clinic, Carline Mongerard. She and I are both on a learning curve in our new jobs and I really appreciate her sincere approach. Example: this morning first thing when the work day started she sat down next to me with an open notebook and she wanted to know EVERYTHING about PID's history, mission, and the Guatemala and Mississippi locations.

Yesterday we had an introduction party for Carline, but I burnt the cake ( ha ha! - no pictures of that one, sorry!). Carline, on the other hand, did great: she spoke to the staff about why we do the work we do. We do it for the patients, for the people who need our services.


I'll post again soon!

Sandra

Welcome, Sandra!

Sandra and fiance Abdias

We are excited to welcome a new member of our PID team! Meet Sandra Sonley, our new Haiti Field Director.

Hometown:​ I grew up in Warrenton, VA. But I've been around the Beverly, MA, area since college and that has felt like home for the past few years.

Education:​ Bachelors degrees in Biblical Studies and French from Gordon College. Master of Social Work from Salem State University.

Family: My parents, sister (Beka) and extended family are all in Virginia and Maryland.​ My fiance, Abdias, and his family are in Haiti. My church family is in the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Hobbies:​ I used to knit and I brought knitting supplies with me to Haiti to try and get back into it. I like a good story to read or listen to. My mom gave me a copy of Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende. It takes place in Haiti in the 18th century. I started it a long time ago but I'm just now getting into it. Also, the past four months I was doing (or attempting - haha!) CrossFit where I was living in Beverly. Really tough, but really kicked me into shape!

How did you first get involved with PID?
​I always had hesitations about short-term service trips, but my friend from Gordon convinced me to volunteer on a service trip in May of 2010. Gale was there at the same time as our team, and I was sold on their model of partnership and their transparency as a service organization. A few years after that​, I ended up intern​ing​ for about 11 months for PID in Haiti.

What were you doing before you became the field director?
I just finished my MSW degree at Salem State University at the end of August. It was a long ride, but I learned a lot.​ I also worked as a case manager for a social service organization, which taught me a lot about what low income families face in the US.

Why did you decide to come on board full-time with PID, and what are you most excited about in your new role?
If you've ever been to PID in Haiti, or spent any length of time there, you know it’s pretty easy to fall in love with the people and their mentality and resilience. The work PID does can get complicated and there are some very hard aspects (at least it seemed to me as an intern), but I see the fruit of their commitment and I know it is all really, really worth it! ​I am most excited about working with the same people and lots of new staff as well. I was there for the better part of a year for my internship, so I know a lot of the people who work there. The laughter among staff and the culture of the clinic is pretty irresistible. I know that the relational aspect of how Haitians approach work will make the harder parts of the job worth it.

You're now about a week in to your new position. What has surprised and/or challenged you so far?
So far so good! The hardest part and most surprising part has been driving here; it takes all my concentration and I feel like the roads are a maze. But it hasn't been as hard as I've though. ​

What is your greatest hope for Haiti?

Since Haiti receives so much help from so many thousands of organizations, it’s possible to feel like they are all coming in to try and “fix” Haiti. When you come down here the airplane is full of volunteers and workers from dozens of charities and NGO's, which is great on the one hand. Sometimes, though, it’s possible to forget that despite the good intentions we can bring in, people and communities are transformed when they make things happen for themselves. Outside help can simply provide encouragement, tools and other resources for that. My hope is that progress for the country really will be a partnership between people of Haiti and the outside organizations that come in, and will take Haiti to a place that the people of Haiti want to see it go. I also have a hope for us who are “outsiders” coming in, that we will be open to how much we gain from partnerships like this, and let that inform the nature of our service.

Transformation Through Education

In the spirit of back-to-school season, here’s a little quiz for you: How many years will a typical child in Haiti or Guatemala spend in school during their lifetime?

Before you answer, let’s first consider how many years most of our children spend in school. For many, we’re looking at 13-14 years to start, plus another four for college and potentially more after that. Some of our kids will spend upwards of 20 years in school.

How many years do kids in Haiti and Guatemala spend?

Four.

And those four years come at a cost, too. In Haiti, families must pay tuition for each child in school; in Guatemala, tuition is charged after 6th grade.

At 40% primary school completion rate, Guatemala is ranked lowest in Central America. 10% of students complete lower secondary school and only 8.5% pursue higher education. There are further disparities between genders and in rural areas.

In Haiti, approximately 35% of youth are unable to read. The government has little to no involvement in closing this gap.

Because Haiti and Guatemala are some of the poorest places in the world, families need “all hands on deck” to make a living and keep food on the table. A child in school means one less set of hands to help run the family business or till the fields. After just a few short years of schooling, children are often forced to drop out in order to work and relieve the family of school expenses (such as tuition, books, supplies and uniforms), which present a significant financial burden.

Children who leave school to work become trapped in the cycle of poverty that has shackled their family and community for so long. Education is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty and transforming individuals, families and communities. Children who receive a quality education open their world to immense possibilities.

PID’s child sponsorship program helps kids stay in school well beyond the average completion time by covering the cost of school expenses and providing medical and nutrition care, which are essential to fostering learning. Once they reach high school age, our higher education program jumps in to help them complete their education and even go on to college. These programs are changing lives and transforming families by making education accessible.

• Learn more about our child sponsorship programs in Haiti and Guatemala
• Learn more about our higher education programs in Haiti and Guatemala

As the school year kicks off, you’ll probably find yourself waiting in the school pick-up line or sitting in traffic behind a frequently-stopping school bus. In those moments, image what it would mean to have only four years of schooling in your entire life. And, maybe, as you gather last minute back-to-school supplies this year, consider throwing a few extra items onto your cart. Our list of needed supplies includes everything from medical supplies and clothes to soap and peanut butter, and helps PID continue serving the poorest of the poor through educational support and many other programs.