“I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame.” Job 29:15
Hi! This week has been a busy week. Both walls now have supports built into them so they won’t be falling down anytime soon. The children’s room also got a fresh coat of paint as well and the depot got cleaned out too. The visitors were delayed at the Port-au-Prince airport because the flight crew had to take a scheduled rest. The 2 hours delay caused them to miss their connecting flight in Miami but it was alright because the airline paid for the hotel and food! They arrived safely back in Canada after their stayover in Miami.
Iliodor Noel is recovering well after having his lower right leg amputated. He will be discharged from the hospital today and he will be staying here at the house until we can organize his prosthesis at Healing Hands. He is already asking when he can get an artificial leg and I think he is eager to return to the village. Pray for him as he continues to recover and also that he can get a prosthesis. People in the village believe his foot got gangrene because his foot passed over a frog. He didn’t kill the frog so the evil spirit in the frog entered his foot and caused the gangrene. Even Marie who lives here believes that he must have been cursed. In the Haitian culture illnesses and accidents are always believed to be caused by a “fetish” (curse that someone has placed on a person). Marie even thought that this is why the doctors would not originally treat his foot in the emergency department because they didn’t want to get in the way of the curse.
We received photos this week of Pharah Simeon. She had her surgery to treat her hydrocephalus and her head looks good. The pressure on the brain is relieved and her eyes are no longer sundowning. The plan is for her to remain in the United States for 6 months. This allows a longer post-op follow up, which is lacking here in Haiti. With these brain surgeries within the first month the complication rate is around 1 in 12. After 6 months the complication rate is reduced significantly to around 1 in 5000. Pray for her as she continues to recover and for the host family looking after her. From the photos we received she looks happy.
This week we spent a lot of time at the US Consulate applying for 3 medical visas. Widline Pierre, a 4-month-old baby has a deformation of the anus and will need a colostomy to allow her to pass stool normally. Skyline Michel is a 1 year old who will be making her second trip to the United States to correct her cleft palate. Naphtalie Bazile is a baby who has hydrocephalus. We give the Lord thanks that medical care could be found for them. Pray for traveling mercies for them and for the host families who will be looking after them.
The other man in the emergency room with a gangrene leg is doing alright but needs his leg amputated too. I saw today what the leg looks like under the bandages and it didn’t look good. Tomorrow we are going to get an echo doppler exam done on his leg so that the doctors can determine where to amputate. Pray that he can get his leg amputated next week. His leg is very sore and he spends his time sitting in a chair. His leg is too painful when he lies down.
We recently received a food donation and also cleaning supplies as part of the ODEO organization. This donation helps out a lot!
The other day I saw a UN and Haitian police escort going up Delmas with Canadian diplomatic vehicles. Maxime Bernier, the Minister of International Cooperation was in country. Canada continues to help Haiti with economic aid. The Canadian government is allocating 125 million dollars to 7 projects to help Haiti. Funds will be used to construct roads, feed children, improve health of mothers, improve the economy, and improve the capacity of Haiti to face natural disasters. The largest allocation is 75 million to construct and improve the road connecting Jeremie and Cayes. 19 million is allocated to health care, 13.8 million to technical assistance to the Haitian government, 10 million to school cantines, 5.4 million to tuition fees, 1.2 million towards the alphabetization/literacy program and 700 thousand to natural disaster preparation. The total Canadian contribution will be 555 million over 5 years covering the periods of 2006 to 2011 towards the reconstruction and development of Haiti.
An OAS (Organization of American States) delegation visited Haiti and expressed optimism about Haiti’s security climate.
The police are really going after drivers for license plates. I have seen police ripping off old license plates and forcing the driver to get the new plates. There is less public transport (tap-taps) on the street because of this clampdown and people had trouble finding transportation to get around the city. The supply/demand problem of tap-taps will continue until these drivers get their new license plates. The circulation bureau is a very busy place these days as drivers scramble to get their plates and papers in order!
We are now getting eggs again. Mdm. Elie has made contact with another vendor who smuggles the eggs in with charcoal shipments. The price is almost the same and the eggs are good too!
There are problems at the Haiti/Dominican border in Dajabon. They have to do with cattle rustling. 2 Dominicans dredging sand in the Massacre River, which separates the Dominican Republic and Haiti, were abducted by Haitians. The abduction was in retaliation for a raid by about 50 armed Dominican cattle farmers who had crossed into Haiti to claim cows and horses that they said had been stolen from them on a previous raid by Haitian cattle farmers. The Haitian police freed the 2 Dominicans and the Dominican cattle ranchers continue to hold onto 16 cattle and 2 horses until it is determined who the owners truly are. In the meantime the Dominican army will be monitoring this border area more closely.
That is all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje
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