photos - various

On Friday was Manu's 11th birthday! We went to Epi Dor for his birthday and enjoyed a cheeseburger and french fries. We brought a cake back home and ate it that evening. This is one of Manu's friends - Harold.

Recently the children came running to my room with a crab that they found in the yard. In its effort to escape the crab scurried from his shell.

The children wanted to take a picture and decided that it would look nice to have some flowers in it. They then tried to get the crab to crawl back into its shell. Boys will be boys!

We visited Michkardel Poutoute. She had a skin graft surgery done in December 2008. We wanted to check up and see how she was doing.

When we first got there the youngest children ran. See in the background the young girl hiding behind her mother. I think that she was worried that I would take her to the hospital! Michkardel is sitting on the stairs. She wasn't happy to see me.

photos - election day

This large truck covering was moved to block the street. The people moving it sure made a lot of noise!

Lukner and a friend rescued the roof covering of his tap-tap from the barricades. He brought it into the yard for safe keeping!

There were several fires burning on the street corner. The black area are the remnants of the tires. Burning tires and barricades are common protest tools. The electoral voter participation rate was only about 12%.

Sunday was a quiet day. Not very many people were walking around the neighborhood. This is the view of Delmas 31 when you turn left at our corner.

This is the view of Delmas 31 when you turn right from our street corner.

photos - koolikoo joseph - USNS Comfort

Koolikoo Joseph is around 9 years old and he is mentally handicapped and was abandoned at General Hospital. The USNS Comfort crew that was working at rehabilitating the pharmacy saw him and brought him to the hospital ship for medical treatment. He had been hit by a car.

After being discharged from the USNS Comfort, an American missionary said he would take him to his orphanage. Instead he dropped Koolikioo back at General Hospital. We went on Monday to bring him to another orphanage and this woman who was his "minder" told me that I would have to speak with the person who was "responsable". The end of this story is that he now is in an orphanage.

We brought him to a boys' home in Jacmel. The administration there may transfer him to another orphanage that they have in Fermathe. He now has a home!

The view from the roof of the orphanage in Jacmel is beautiful. Jacmel has beautiful beaches and a great scenic view.

This area reminds me of the Georgian Bay area in Ontario. We couldn't stay long to enjoy the scenery though. We had to head back to Port-au-Prince before it got dark.

photos - various

Kervens Guerrier received surgery for repair of a clubbed foot on the USNS Comfort. He is not very happy to have a cast on his leg. In 4 weeks he will need the pins in his foot removed.

Roosevelt Rejuste received a hernia surgery on the USNS Comfort ship. We will be taking him next week to a doctor for a post-op check-up. He is doing well.

In November 2008 David Marzelus' family abandoned him at the entrance to the emergency department at General Hospital. We brought him back to his family.

He made a visit this week. He still is at his family's home. I am glad that his family has not abandoned him again.

Manu went with a couple of other people from Coram Deo to buy something for his birthday. While walking he noticed David lying on the sidewalk by the mayor's office. He helped him walk all the way back to our house as he didn't know where David's house was. We then brought him to David's home. I am proud of what Manu did. He saw someone in trouble and tried to help.

photos - calwens

Today we brought Calwens, sister and his mother to the Gonaives bus station. They had a post-op checkup at Healing Hands on Friday. He is doing well. His mother is happy to go home to the rest of her family who live in Marmelade.

Another of the hydrocephalus parent's stopped by the house today. Sterling Bonhomme's mother helped to carry Calwens. Hydrocephalus mothers have a common bond.

Lukner found them a seat on the bus that is loading luggage.

In Haiti public transportation quite often have biblical themes painted on them. "Lavi se yon konba" is the creole expression for "Life is a battle". Underneath is a symbol of a shepherd holding a lamb and the creole expression "Jesus ken bem" which means "Jesus hold me" in english.

This bus has "CHRIST VIVANT" printed on its side which means "Christ Lives" in english. We just recently finished celebrating Christ's victory on the cross. The design on this bus proudly proclaims the fact that Christ lives!

photos - delmas 31 ravine

On the other side of Delmas 31 on one of the side streets is a corridor leading to a ravine area where poor people live. This street has larger homes on it and if you wouldn't enter the corridor you would never see there is a poorer area hidden in the ravine.

Here is the entrance to the corridor in between 2 large homes.

At the end of the corridor is the ravine.

We know several of the families who live in this area. They are all poor.

Kemly Arisma is almost blind. She is one of the children who lives in the ravine. She was seen by a USNS Comfort doctor at Killick but he couldn't do the surgery on the ship. She needs to go to the United States for cornea transplant surgery. Pray we can find someone to help her.

haiti update - april 25, 2009

“A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.” Proverbs 14:28

Hi! The week began with a lot of noise. Early Sunday morning at around 1:00am everyone in the house was awakened by the sounds of things going bump in the night! The dog did a lot of barking too. The guys were worried that people were moving things against the wall to climb into our yard but these people were instead moving the metal workers’ unfinished projects from in front of our wall and dragging them to the street corner to use as barricades to block the street. This went on for a while. Then they smashed up some tables that the street vendors use to display their wares to use as kindling to light the tire fires that they started on the corner. This was the beginning of election day in Haiti! I couldn’t take pictures while this was going on but I took some after and put it on the blog. Lukner has an old wreck of a tap-tap that he is trying to fix and he had the top cover at the welder’s waiting to be repaired. He was able to rescue it from the barricades in the morning. The police were busy at around 5:00am moving the barricades aside to open the roadway again. Election day to elect senators officially began at 6:00am. The older guys here who are of voting age told me in the morning that they had no intention of leaving the yard. After a noisy evening the day was very quiet! Word on the Haitian grape vine here in Port-au-Prince was that if you wanted to vote you better write your name on the soles of your feet so that when they find your body on the street people will be able to identify it. The Lavalas political party was banned from the election and because of this they had Operation “Porte Fermee” (Closed Door) in place. The police didn’t allow public or private transportation on the streets. All these things contributed to a very low voter turnout. The electoral council estimates voter attendance at 12% across the country. In the Central Plateau region of the country the election was very disorderly. In Mirebalais supporters of different parties clashed. An electoral worker was shot. Voting centers were ransacked and voting ballots were taken and destroyed. Windows of vehicles were smashed as well. We were listening to the radio and heard reports coming in from people in Mirebalais saying how bad the election was going out there. People were trying to get inside a hotel there to get at someone and police had to fire tear gas. Some armed gunmen were going into voting centers to cause problems. There were similar situations taking place in Sarazin and Maissade. In Papaye supporters of a candidate went into a bureau and stuffed the ballot boxes with their candidates’ name. The electoral council ended up canceling election day for the Central Plateau region and they will need to be held again at a later date. There were some post election problems this week in the region of Aquin. On Tuesday, windows of vehicles were damaged by supporters celebrating the victory of their candidate (even though results haven’t been published yet). These supporters forced school directors to close their doors and send the students home and businesses were not able to function. Other than these isolated incidents things were very quiet across the country. Election results will be issued on April 27th by the electoral council.
The USNS Comfort left Haiti on Sunday to travel to its next destination in the Dominican Republic. In a 10-day period: 6,731 patients received treatment; 30,856 patients encountered; 161 surgeries performed; 15,504 prescriptions filled and 2,354 animals treated. This week we have had contacts with some of the people who had surgery. Kervens Guerrier has his leg in a cast and will need to have the pins removed from his clubfoot surgery in a month’s time. The 3 orthopedic cases will get follow-up care at Healing Hands. Roosevelt Rejuste (hernia surgery) and his mother came by to visit this week. Rosita Petissaint had a hysterectomy and we had her go see a gynecologist at Bernard Mevs for a post-op check this week. Pray for her as she is still in a lot of pain.
Staff from the USNS Comfort also did a renovations project at the state General Hospital while they were here in Haiti. The pharmacy has been closed for months and with the renovations that were done hopefully it will reopen again soon. The workers from the USNS Comfort also experienced some of the frustrations of working here in Haiti. At the end of one day before heading back to the ship the workers asked the Haitian security at General Hospital to watch the lumber materials. In the morning they came to the hospital and found that the wood had walked away during the night! The Haitian security guard told them that he had no idea what happened because he was sleeping. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Saturday morning when the American ambassador Janet Sanderson cut the ribbon. Earlier in the week the ship workers saw an injured handicapped boy on the grounds of General Hospital near where they were working. He had been hit by a car and was abandoned and they transported him to the ship for medical treatment. The boys name is Koolikoo Joseph. He doesn’t have family and was watched over by people on the grounds of the hospital. A few days later when it was time for him to be discharged from the ship they didn’t want to send him back to the grounds of General Hospital. Different missions were contacted with the hope of finding an orphanage to take him in. One American man who has a mission here in Haiti said that he would take him into his orphanage and the ship people gave him a donation to help out with Koolikoo’s care. Everyone on the ship was relieved that he now had a home. At the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday the ship people were surprised and upset to see Koolikoo back on the grounds of General Hospital. We went to General Hospital on Monday and saw him by the gates of the church. A couple of vendors were sitting there with him. They told us that the “white man” dropped him off there. We told the vendors that another orphanage was willing to take in Koolikoo and they told us that they were his “minders” and that we would have to talk with the “responsible” person and we would need to come back on Tuesday. The next day we went back and that person wasn’t there. While we were talking to the vendors a Haitian lady came up to me and asked what was going on. I explained to her about Koolikoo’s situation and that we had found someone to take him in and told her about the problem of locating the person who was responsible for him. She got angry and said that the people were using him to beg with in front of the church gates. I told her that if I couldn’t meet with the person responsible for him that I would just go over to Haitian Social Services (IBESR) and talk to them. The vendors immediately said “Take him, we don’t want any problems with the police!” We then brought him to an orphanage that was willing to take him in. We give the Lord thanks that Koolikoo now has a home!
On Friday it was Manu’s 11th birthday and we had a birthday party at Epi Dor’s and a cake back at the house. He was looking forward to the birthday party all week long!
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

video - USNS Comfort - Begins Missions

A video was made on the start of the Continuing Promise 2009 mission here in Haiti. If you would like to see it follow the link at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oJDRp54RTo

photos - carrefour traffic

On Monday afternoon there was a large traffic jam on the Carrefour Road. We first tried to take the Fontamara road but when we met up with the large rara we turned around and went back to the Carrefour traffic jam. I had my camera with me and took some photos. The Carrefour road always floods when it rains and the drainage canals don't work. There's lots of sitting water and garbage lying around.

The "marchands" (vendors) sit on the edges of the watery areas. The standing water is not very clean.

These are sacs of charcoal.

Driving around Port-au-Prince there is usually a UN vehicle around. The red and white car is a UN police vehicle.

The writing on the door of this room marks it as a "prayer cell". In Haiti groups of people will get together sometimes in people's homes especially to pray. These are called "jeune" services. When people attend these services they feel strengthened in their faith. People bring all their cares and burdens to these "jeune" services and pray together with others. Many of the parents we try to find help for will attend these "jeune" services asking the Lord to open a door for their child to find medical care.

USNS Comfort - part 1

People were crowding the main gate each day of the clinic hoping to be the first one in. It always took some time before the gates could be opened.

What the team wanted was for everyone to stand in line. Some people complied. Vendors were also in the area selling food and water to the people standing in the long lineups.

A few medical personnel are watching the crowds at the gate.

People were in line already since 3:00am in some cases. It made for a long day for these people.

People in Haiti are desperate for medical care. Several people came without a card hoping that they would be let inside too.

photos - USNS Comfort - part 2

The haitian police were out front of the gate where vehicles enter into the coast guard station to keep the entrance clear of waiting people.

It was tough on elderly people waiting in the lineups.

This man sold sweets to people waiting in line.

We took the children when we picked up Michelore and Deedee. Manu wanted to meet the soldiers from Sri Lanka who were standing in front of the Coast Guard Station.

The Carrefour road is a busy street with lots of traffic, including donkeys!

USNS Comfort - part 3

Lukner got his eyes checked and he got a new pair of eyeglasses plus a pair of sunglasses. I think he looks quite scholarly in this photo. He was excited to see Hillary Clinton and President Preval at the Palais National.

Pastor Varius is the pastor of a Fond Parisien church. He is getting cataract surgery.

Mr. Norville is getting cataract surgery as well. So many elderly people in Haiti never have the opportunity to get this surgery.

Many people came to the clinic without a card hoping to see a doctor. This man was hit by a car a few years ago and needs wrist surgery. He was frustrated at not being able to get in to the clinic.

We put his name on our medical search list. We met a few people who really need medical care and couldn't get into the clinic. Pray that we will find someone to help this man.

photos - USNS Comfort - part 4

Michelore Noel is doing well at Deedee's . His right femur bone is at almost a 45 degree angle and he needed surgery to straighten it. If he didn't get the surgery done the scoliosis is his back would keep getting worse. When he first came to Deedee's the doctor had said that he would never be able to walk. You can see the doctor was wrong!

Michelore got a ride in a helicopter coming back from the boat to the Amiral Killick Coast Guard station.

The helicopter landed in the soccer field of the coast guard station

One of the soldiers gave him a ride in a wheelchair from the helicopter to the pickup truck. The surgery that he had involved putting a rod through the middle of the femur to keep it straight. He will need to be in a cast for the next 8 weeks.

Mich loves to laugh and made a lot of friends while he was on the USNS Comfort! Pray the bone heals well and that he has no complications and for Deedee who will need to keep him out of trouble! He is an active boy!

haiti update - april 18, 2009

“Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.” Proverbs 26:9

Hi! This week a couple of incidents happened which contribute to a bad image for the Haitian people. Raras can get quite rowdy sometimes. On Monday afternoon we were coming back from the coast guard station and got stuck in the Carrefour traffic. We decided to take the Fontamara road and made good progress until we came across a small rara. There were 3 UN vehicles in front of us and we decided to follow the rara instead of waiting in the Carrefour traffic. There was a gray haired rasta man who must have been around 70 years old and he was proudly smoking a marijuana joint. He went up to all the UN vehicles and smoked the joint in front of them. By the time he got to us he finished it off and then switched to drinking “Clairin” (Haitian moonshine). Another younger guy was pushing a wheelbarrow full of gallon jugs of clairin. I have never seen a rara before with a wheelbarrow driver to haul the alcohol. He would stop the wheelbarrow in the middle of the road from time to time and all the UN vehicles would have to wait for him to decide to move again. He was a little drunk too because he would sip from the supply when he stopped and when he pushed the wheelbarrow he weaved across the road. There was another guy walking beside the wheelbarrow making sure that none of the gallon jugs of clairin would fall out of the wheelbarrow. The UN police car should have stopped them for drunk driving! We went on until we were at Habitation Leclerc and all the UN vehicles drove into the UN base there. This is also where the small rara was heading. They joined up with all their other friends and there must have been 700 people having a street party beside the base. The Sri Lankan UN soldiers weren’t doing anything. They were watching from their compound and taking pictures of the festivities. The drunken wheelbarrow driver was welcomed by the crowd with a cheer. We turned Kimosabee around and headed back to the Carrefour road to sit in the traffic jam.
Street justice can be severe sometimes. We were driving in the downtown area on Friday and saw a man lying on the road. At first I thought he was dead but when we got close I saw him move an arm. This was right in front of the gate at General Hospital. I thought it was strange that nobody was helping him. He was a handicapped man because he had a cane with a clasp holding it to his arm. We talked with the vendors that were by him and they explained how he came to be lying in the street. They said that he had been bugging them to give him food and when they didn’t he defecated on the street by where they were selling. He also was knocking over merchandise. The people had enough and beat him badly. While we were talking to the vendors a vehicle came out of the gate of General Hospital to turn onto the street and didn’t notice the man lying on the ground. I pounded on the hood of his car and yelled at him to stop and he did. The vehicle almost ran over his head. There was a policeman by the gate of the hospital and I told him about the man lying on the road and he said he would take care of it. We left and an hour later the man was still lying on the road. We saw a Haitian Red Cross vehicle and I figured that they would remove the man from the street. Later in the afternoon we picked up Deedee, Michelore and Vanessa from the coast guard station and the man was no longer on the street. He was moved to the other side of the street on the sidewalk under a shady tree. This morning I thought that if we saw him still lying on the ground we would try to convince the Missionaries of Charity to take him in for care but he was gone. Hopefully, he is still alive. This shows the state of the public health system when an injured person can be left lying on the road in front of the gate of a hospital and the hospital won’t help.
It is because of the poor public health system that the USNS Comfort was sent to Haiti. Many people went to the clinic at the Amiral Killick coast guard station and at the location by Cite Soleil. People in Haiti are desperate for medical care. Last Friday and Saturday were appointments for surgical cases where appointments were submitted ahead of time. There were long lineups and some people tried to push to get to the front of the line and they crowded the gate. We were able to get approval to get some of our people in so that they wouldn’t have to stand in line but we had to get to the gate first. With the parents we had to carry the children so that they wouldn’t get bumped by other people. Some people who were waiting outside in line ended up passing out from the heat. There was no shelter from the sun for those waiting in line to get onto the clinic grounds. One lady had a seizure while in line but the military could not bring her into the clinic. When she recovered from the seizure the family brought her home. There were some problems with the distribution of the cards. Before the hospital ship arrived several local hospitals were given cards to distribute to people who needed to see the ship doctors. I spoke with several people who said that one of the Carrefour area hospitals was charging $300H (38US$) for an exam to see if they qualified for a card and then after that $10H needed to be paid for the card. These were supposed to be distributed free. Other people were saying that they had to pay $40-50H for a card. It is sad that some people will use corruption to better themselves. Many people tried to attend the daily clinics that didn’t have a card and stood in line with the hope of being let in. The demand for the ship services far exceeded the amount that could be seen. There were a few cleft lip patients attending the clinic who are adults and they now have the opportunity to have surgery. Another man with a disfiguring facial tumor will also have his face operated on. We spoke with some of the people who were waiting out front and couldn’t get in and took down their information and they are now part of our medical search list. This week all the surgeries were done on board the ship. Transport to the main hospital ship was done by boat launches. Kervens Guerrier had surgery to repair a clubbed foot. Roosevelt Rejuste had hernia surgery. We helped a few missions out in getting care for some of their people. Michelore Noel, who is part of Deedee’s mission, had a rod put in to straighten his leg. He’ll have to wear a cast for about 8 weeks. This is the boy who was told that would never walk again a couple of years ago. He has been getting good nutrition and care at Deedee’s and is doing well. He walks and runs and the surgery that was done will help him to walk and run better. The bone breaks and bending of the bones were caused by his malnutrition while growing up in the village. He even got the chance to ride in a helicopter for the trip back from the ship to the coast guard station. Several other people received operations for gynecological, orthopedic, cataracts and general surgery problems. We give the Lord thanks for this bountiful harvest of surgical care! Pray for all those recovering from surgery. Lukner got his eyes checked and now has new glasses. They gave him a pair of glasses and also sunglasses. Everyone who got accepted for medical care was thankful for the care that they received. I hope that another hospital ship will be sent next year because I don’t expect the public health system to improve much here in a year’s time. Please pray for another hospital ship to come to Haiti.
On April 20th there will be a plastic surgery team from Operation Smile in Haiti to operate at the hospital in Cange, which is located on the Central Plateau. Pray that they are able to help many patients.
We got the passport this week for Ivona Dessalines and now are preparing her visa application. Pray she will be granted a medical visa.
This week is a busy one for the Haitian government. On Tuesday there was a Donor’s Conference on Haiti in Washington and representatives from several countries attended. 324 million dollars in aid was pledged in additional aid to help the country recover from last year’s hurricane damage and food shortages. On Thursday the American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Haiti to meet with President Preval and also visit the USNS Comfort clinic site in Cite Soleil and an industrial park. We saw Hillary Clinton at the Palais National. We were driving past the palace to go to the archives for paperwork and saw all the diplomatic vehicles on the palace grounds. The UN had the road blocked off in front of the palace. When we returned from the archives was when Hillary was leaving the palace and we saw her standing on the front steps of the palace with President Preval. The police had the road blocked and the procession of diplomatic vehicles passed right in front of us. Lukner was excited that he got to see Hillary Clinton. With his new glasses he says he can see much better! On Sunday April 19th are the senatorial elections and the government is taking precautions. The education minister requested all schools to be closed on Friday and also Monday, so there are no classes here at Coram Deo for those days. No vehicles or motorcycles are allowed on the streets on Sunday so we are going to spend the day at home. No food vendors or alcohol are allowed to be sold on the streets starting this evening until Monday morning. I don’t know anyone who wants to vote and I think that the voter turnout will be very low. Pray for a peaceful election.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

video - USNS Comfort

The USNS Comfort is here in Haiti as their first stop in "Continuing Promise - 2009". A video was made for this deployment. If you would like to see it follow the link to:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRmKfbHQ5a0&feature=channel_page

photos - hydrocephalus surgeries - part 1

Here is a photo of the University of Miami neurosurgery team. The surgeries went well!

The mothers did a good job looking after their babies after they came out of surgery. You can see the look of concern on the face of this mother as she holds her crying child.

Once the children were bright-eyed and drinking the mother's faces relaxed to one of joy that their child received the help that they needed.

Calwens' mother and big sister are sitting with him after his surgery. Calwens had a shunt put in. This is the 2nd surgery for him. Hopefully he will not need any more surgeries.

This is Joey who is the abandoned baby from Cite Soleil that Chris took in to His Home for Children. He had some seizures after his surgery but he is now doing well. He is a cute baby! Pray he recovers and that a family is found to adopt him.

photos - hydrocephalus surgeries - part 2

Meghann Larrieux is a baby girl from the Cayes area. After her surgery the one side of her head is sunken in. Depending where the blockage is each child's head is different. She also has an orthopedic problem which will need to be fixed.

This baby girl is playing a couple of days after surgery. She is bright-eyed and doing well!

When infants have surgery at an early age their prognosis is better than infants with a larger head circumference. This baby is doing well after surgery.

Here is another bright-eyed baby!

With pressure off the brain bones of the skull are no longer pushed outwards. You can see the large open fontanel in the picture. This is caused by pressure in the brain. Over time the skull will close over the open fontanel.

photos - USNS Comfort - part 1

While waiting outside of the coast guard station I noticed a lady holding a hydrocephalus baby. She had heard about the USNS Comfort hospital ship and was hoping that they would be willing to help her. I took her information and told her to register at Healing Hands for the next hydrocephalus evaluations. It doesn't take long to build another hydrocephalus search list!

The Cite Soleil medical clinic was located in the Terminal Varreux area which is an industrial area. There were no signs indicating how to get there. We found it though with the help of some haitian people that we knew.

Here is another building near the clinic site.

Behind this wall and container there is an entrance to a gate and behind the gate is the area of the medical clinic.

This is the haitian carpenter that we met at the St. Katherine Hospital in Cite Soleil. He helped us to find the clinic site. He offered to carry Poutchino for Dorothy who is standing by the gate behind him. This is where we waited until the people formed a line which took a while!

photos - USNS Comfort - part 2

The main medical clinic was held at the Base Navale Amiral Killick which is located in the Martissant area of Carrefour.

These patients are waiting to be screened before moving on to the consultation areas at the back.

Tents were set up to shelter people from the sun while they were waiting. Because it was hot outside and no access to vendors water was regularly handed out to people to keep them hydrated.

These people are waiting to get xrays done. All surgical patients and their escort needed to have a chest xray done to screen against TB. The personnel didn't want to have TB transported onto the ship! Chris is waiting in line with one of the children from her orphanage, Charles Blanc who will be getting surgery for an umbilical hernia.

While I was waiting near the xray area I looked up and noticed a shell on the ledge above. I hope it is not armed and is a souvenir and not a forgotten munition left over from the old Haitian military.

photos - USNS Comfort - part 3

This helicopter from the USNS Comfort is coming in to land on the grounds of the Amiral Killick Coast Guard Station. I sure would like to go for a ride in one of them!

Supplies are being delivered for the clinic.

The grounds were organized in different sections: registration, waiting areas, consultation, dental, eyecare, laboratory, pharmacy, xray

For security reasons the USNS Comfort did not dock close by. Maybe they didn't want any stowaways to climb aboard!

Smaller boats are used to transport personnel and patients back and forth from the hospital ship. Here people have arrived from the ship and are heading to the clinic site.

photos - USNS Comfort - part 4

The UN is also assisting the Haitian Coast Guard with patrolling the coasts of Haiti. Uruguay has boats here in the coast guard port. Uruguayan military members are ready to go out on patrol.

There are 2 docks in the coast guard port. There are also a couple of wrecks off to the side that you can see in the distance.

The port is nice. It would be nice to take the children fishing off the dock here. I am going to ask coast guard police if this is possible. I am not so sure what their response will be. They might not be very impressed with the request!

On the other side of the port there are shacks.

These fishermen are setting out the large net off the right side of the boat with the hope of catching fish. In Mark 1:17 it is written: "Come, follow me", Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

haiti update - april 12, 2009

“…This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46,47

Hi! This past week has been the busiest week I have ever had here in Haiti. It has been great fun running around for the whole week. The report cards for the school program were prepared and handed out to the parents at the meeting we had on Thursday morning. Paulna and Benson went and spent a week with their families. Benson always enjoys spending time with his older brother. Paulna likes to go back to her village and spend time with all of her family as well.
We finally got all the paperwork together that we needed for Ivona Dessalines’ passport application and we went to Haitian Immigration on Monday with her father to apply for it. They gave us an appointment to come back on April 16th to pick up her passport. Pray we get it because her file has had more complications than any file I have ever worked on.
The hydrocephalus surgeries went well. 26 children had either ventriculoscopy or shunt surgeries. The neurosurgery team returned back to Miami on Tuesday morning. The baby who was abandoned in Cite Soleil and now lives at His Home for Children was one of the babies selected for surgery. His name is Joey (named after the doctor who runs the clinic where he stayed at). Joey had seizures after surgery but they are now under control and by the middle of the week he wasn’t having any seizures anymore. Calwens Sanon, the baby from Gonaives had surgery this time around to put in a shunt and he is doing well. All the babies are so far recovering well. Every time the surgeries are held there are always babies who die post-surgery. Sometimes I end up having to bring the babies to the morgue. This time around nobody has died yet! We give the Lord thanks that the surgeries were held once again. Continue to pray for all the babies as they recover from their surgeries.
We did a lot of running around this week contacting patients and getting a couple of x-rays done for those who were selected to be evaluated by the USNS Comfort doctors. The hospital ship arrived in Haiti on Thursday morning and the official welcome was held that afternoon. The hospital ship is 894 feet long and is 10 stories high. 935 people were on board for the trip to Haiti. People from all branches of the US military are on board as well as from Canada, France, and Holland. The ship has 1000 hospital beds, 12 operating rooms, scanner, MRI, 5,000 units of blood as well as boats and helicopters. There are also volunteers assisting here in Haiti for things like translating. The ship will be here until April 19th, where it will then depart to the Dominican Republic. The medical personnel hope to see 8,000 patients while the ship is here.
We think of Good Friday as “good” because Jesus died on the cross for our sins. In Haiti during this time of year there are a lot of raras on the streets. Driving around town we passed several. They didn’t cause trouble but these people were not celebrating because of what Jesus did on the cross. Pray that one day the nation turns to the Lord and away from the voodoo influence.
Revenge is part of the Haitian culture for those who are not Christians. Friday was a day that was chosen for revenge by some bandits. Pastor Pierre has some people in his congregation who live in a mountain village called “Nouveau Torrelle”. A 54-year-old man and his son were met by their home by a group of bandits. The son was shot a couple of times in the hand and his father got shot 3 times in his neck, shoulder and leg area. The bandits fled the area. The men in the village made a stretcher out of a sheet and a couple of tree branches and took turns carrying the stretcher over the mountain trails to the nearest road. The police transported the 2 injured people to the Medecins Sans Frontieres Hospital, which is located on Delmas 19. The son was treated and released but the father needed surgery to remove the bullets. Pray for the injured as they recover. The son had some sort of dispute with another person and this person arranged for the bandits to come up from Port-au-Prince to take revenge. We talked with the family at the hospital on the weekend. The police did arrest a couple of people but haven’t yet captured the people who did the shooting. Pastor Pierre is going to encourage the people in this village to communicate with the “Casec” (government representative) and amongst themselves in preventing another situation like this re-occuring in their area.
Early Friday morning we drove over to the Amiral Killick Coast Guard station, which is located in the Martissant area. Dorothy, Deedee, Chris, Kez and the children they were finding help for all got into Kimosabee the pickup truck. We got there early but there was already a large lineup of people. I dropped them off and went with Dorothy and her child Poutchino to go see a pediatric pulmonologist who was scheduled to work at the Cite Soleil clinic that was being held. We thought it would be held at the St. Katherine Hospital inside Cite Soleil but when we got there no medical team was there. There just happened to be a Haitian carpenter that I knew there who knew where we needed to go. He went along with us to drive to the Varreux Terminal area, which is out of Cite Soleil in an industrial area. We went to a couple of gates looking for information and just happened to meet a security guard who we knew and he gave us details exactly where it was. It was then that we found it. Contacts sure come in handy sometimes in Haiti! I took photos of the area and put them on my blog. It sure doesn’t look like a place where a medical clinic would be held! There were a lot of people standing and everyone wanted to be first into the gate. It took awhile for everyone to form a line. Finally people were let in when things were more orderly. We stood off to the side and were able to bypass the line with the paper we had in hand. A rara did go by on the street passing the clinic while we were outside waiting by the gate and soon after a low flying helicopter came by. I think that the soldiers inside the helicopter wanted to watch the rara too! Once we got inside the clinic area everything was very organized. There was even a portable x-ray machine there! Poutchino got a chest x-ray done and the pulmonologist examined him. He is a 6-year-old hydrocephalus boy who has been living at Dorothy’s. He is aspirating while he drinks and this is causing lung problems for him. The doctor at first wanted to get surgeons on board the ship to do surgery to put in a stomach feeding tube but in the end it was decided as being too risky. Vanessa of Angel Missions is going to try and find medical care for him in the United States. Pray for Poutchino because his lung problems are causing him to suffer from chronic oxygen deprivation. After we brought Dorothy and Poutchino home we returned back to the coast guard station and waited for the others.
There is a lot more that happened this past week but I am going to have to write about it in the next update. It sure was great to be this busy! That’s all the news for today. Have a blessed Easter!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

Video - "Petit Poulet" - Hydrocephalus Project

A video was made in 2005 of the 3rd Special Surgery Program for the hydrocephalus surgeries that were done and coordinated by Project Medishare and Healing Hands. I came across this video on youtube. Every year more and more children get helped. Pray that one day all children in Haiti will have the opportunity for a surgery to treat their hydrocephalus. Please keep this project in prayer. If you would like to access it follow the link at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVeMbtUw3j4

photos - silin jean's surgery

On Monday morning we brought Silin Jean to the Fermathe Hospital at the Baptist Mission to see Dr. Nau. After reviewing the xray of his arm Dr. Nau decided to perform surgery and this was done the same day!

Silin had 2 pins put in to hold his arm in place by the elbow joint. He was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday afternoon we drove Silin Jean and his father home to the Fond Parisien area.

These are Silin's brothers and sisters. They were happy to see us!

In another month Silin will get the 2 pins removed. Pray the bones heal well and that he will regain full function and movement of his right arm.

photos - various

This is the view from Silin Jean's "back yard", which is in the Fond Parisien area.

On Wednesday morning, Cynthia, Calwens and Carmillo went for another cat scan at the CDTI hospital. When they were finished we drove them home. Calwens Sanon and his mother continued to stay here at Coram Deo this week.

This is Mackary. A couple of months ago he started to come and hang out with the other children here. He is a good kid. This afternoon I got back home and saw a young boy in the yard. I asked him who he was and he said he was Mackary's brother.

Hopital La Paix didn't have enough hospital beds, so Johny of Healing Hands asked us if we could drive out to their patient guesthouse (Sonia B. Green) to pick up some beds. A pickup truck is sure handy for hauling stuff!

There is some construction going on at Hopital La Paix. During the last hospital strike an emergency department was requested by the staff of this hospital. Construction is now taking place to make this a reality.

photos - tabarre bridge

The little black spot under the bridge is where the "Bird Woman" was found roosting on Wednesday. There were around 50 people standing in the river bed looking at the opening and this woman. There were also several people on top of the bridge. Everyone was trying to figure out how she was able to access this area. They gave her the nickname "Bird Woman". The fire department removed her and the police took her away.

The Grise River is dry during the dry season. Dump trucks fill up with sand from the riverbed.

Here is a view of the dry Grise riverbed on the other side of the bridge. Piles of sand are there .

Here is the Grise river during a hurricane last August. It is full and flowing fast.

It's amazing the contrast between the rainy and dry seasons on the Grise River

photos - hydrocephalus surgeries - part a

Everybody helps out when it comes to providing the meals for the parents and children. The children are carrying into the hospital everything from the truck.

Nourisoy is a nutritious pudding that is vitamin enriched. We cook this up for the babies who are able to eat.

Manu and Jacob are helping to distribute the meals to the parents in the room. There is a separate room provided for all the hydrocephalus children.

This mother is preparing to feed her child the pudding.

The veins in David Lazarre's head are all bulging and easily visible from the pressure in his head. His mother has done a great job to prevent development of pressure sores. He will be getting surgery on Sunday.

photos - hydrocephalus surgeries - part b

Loubene Dorvulus was the first baby to get surgery on Saturday afternoon. He had the ETV procedure (3rd ventriculoscopy). He doesn't need a shunt with this procedure. Pray he heals and doesn't need further surgery . It's great when they can do the babies when they are still so young.

This photo is taken on Sunday morning. Loubene is bright eyed and alert. He is doing well!

Sterling Bonhomme had her surgery as well. There were 3 babies who had surgery on Saturday. She is doing well too!

Now that Sterling has her surgery for hydrocephalus her second problem needs to be addressed which is clubbed feet. If her brain is not too damaged there is hope for her one day to walk and she'll need her feet straightened to make this possible. Pray for all the future care that she will need.

Jaezer Elima was not selected for surgery. Jaezer's mother is sitting on a chair in front of her house. She lives in the La Tremblay section past Croix des Bouquets. She is not giving up hope for her baby. She says she will take him to prayer services and pray for God to touch him. She knows that whatever happens will be God's will on Jaezer's life. Please keep this family in prayer.

haiti update - april 5, 2009

“The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.” Proverbs 14:14

Hi! This past week was busy with both the school and medical programs. The students wrote their 2nd semester exams throughout the week. We will be having a meeting with the parents on Thursday and the report cards will be handed out at that time. The children will be on Easter break until April 13th when the 3rd semester will commence.
Silin Jean took a tumble near his home in the Fond Parisien area and badly broke his arm by the elbow. His father took him to the Love a Child mission to seek out medical care. After an x-ray was taken it was determined that he needed surgery. I contacted Raymond Cloutier, who is a medical engineer in Florida. He currently is working with some of the best orthopedic surgeons in Haiti by making it possible for them to perform hip replacement surgeries right here in Haiti. Dr. Nau is one of the orthopedic surgeons in the program and he agreed to donate his services. We drove Silin and his father up to the Baptist Mission on Monday morning and met with Dr. Nau and another orthopedic surgeon from Florida who were working together at doing a hip replacement that day. They agreed that Silin needed surgery and Dr. Bernard, who is the director of the hospital approved that the surgery could be held that day. The only cost involved was the hospital bed, medicine and operating room charge. Two pins were put in place to properly position the bones to the elbow joint and Silin was discharged from the hospital the next day. We give the Lord thanks that a way was found to help Silin get the surgery that he needed. He will need to have the pins removed in one months’ time. Pray that the bones will now properly heal and he will have full use of his arm again. We drove them back home to the Fond Parisien area on Tuesday afternoon.
Cynthia, Carmillo and Calwens all went for cat scans this week. The hydrocephalus surgeries started on April 4th. The plane was late in leaving Miami, so the neurosurgery team could only do 3 surgeries at Hopital La Paix on Saturday. We ended up with 5 of the mothers and their children sleeping overnight here at Coram Deo. It worked out well and the mothers were comfortable. We are providing the breakfast and supper meals for the parents and children staying at the hospital. Everyone here is pitching in to help prepare and distribute the food. The team examined Carmillo’s cat scan and it was determined that they couldn’t help him with a surgery. Please pray for Carmillo and his mother Yolande. Yolande is only 17 years old. She got pregnant after being raped and ended up needing a caesarean operation because Carmillo was born with an already enlarged head. She is a good mother and has been looking after Carmillo well. We drove them home Sunday morning. Jaezer Elima is another baby that also couldn’t be helped. We drove him and his mother home to the La Tremblay area Sunday afternoon. It looks like Calwens will be added to the surgical list. The neurosurgery team started surgery early on Sunday morning. Pray for all the children who will be receiving surgery. It is an amazing thing to see children come out of surgery with heads no longer under intracranial pressure.
For the last couple of months there has been another boy around Manu’s age playing with the children in the yard. I found out about him one day when it was time to hand out snacks and the children came and said don’t forget Mackary. I asked them who is Mackary and that is when I met him. He hasn’t caused any trouble and goes home at the end of the day. One of these days I will have to find out where his home is and make sure that his family knows he is hanging out here. Today I came home from bringing Jaezer Elima and his mother home and noticed there was another boy in the yard who I had never seen before. I went up to him and asked him who he was. He told me that he was Mackary’s brother. I call him Ti-Mackary (Little Mackary).
There was an interesting incident on the Tabarre Bridge this week. A crowd of people were watching the “Bird Woman”, who was just under the top of the bridge in what was a small cave-like opening. Around 50 people were on the dry riverbed looking up and wondering how she got there. She couldn’t have climbed up the cement column and people standing on the top of the bridge were looking down also trying to figure out how she got to where she was (that is why they called her the “bird woman”). The fire department eventually came and removed her from her “nest”.
The neighborhood has been quiet with shooting for a long while, but at around 11:30pm Friday evening there was a bunch of gunshots, which were very close. Our next-door neighbor put on his backyard spotlights. We heard voices of people on the street and then a motorcycle riding away. The neighbor then turned off his spotlights and everyone went back to sleep after a while. During the shooting our dog didn’t even bark. Saturday night he refused to go outside and didn’t want to leave my room.
Saturday morning, one of the local guys who works for the tap-taps at loading up passengers on Delmas 33 caused some trouble. “Shaba” stole something from a passenger and another passenger noticed. This person told the thief to give back what he just took. Shaba got angry and hit this person with a rock. Later in the afternoon a couple of men came up to him and told him that his work was now over. They took him aside and shot him a couple of times in the chest. They then walked past the people who were watching and told them that this guy would no longer be stealing or hitting people. Shaba died where he was shot. People think that the person who shot him was a police officer dressed in civilian clothes.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

video - Inside a Failed State - Haiti

I came across this video called "Inside a Failed State - Haiti. It was made by Journeyman Pictures in November 2008. It shows what has happened in Haiti and the lives of the haitian people. I don't think that Haiti is a failed state yet. There is always hope for this country. That is why there are lots of missionaries working to help change the country. Haiti has the highest concentration of missionaries in the world. If you are interested in watching the video follow the link at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbbM8OM9Dqw

photos - hydrocephalus evaluations - part 1

Guerdson Delile and his mother stayed here at Coram Deo while awaiting the hydrocephalus evaluations. They live in Jeremie. His post-op check went well and we brought them back to the wharf to catch a boat back to Jeremie on Saturday morning.

Calwens Sanon, his older sister and mother also are here at Coram Deo. He needs to get another cat scan done this week and may need another surgery. They are from the Gonaives area.

Calwens is a happy baby and his mother does a good job at looking after him.

This mother is happily awaiting her turn to see the doctor.

David Lazarre is the baby with the head covering. April 3rd all the families will know who gets selected for surgery.

photos - hydrocephalus evaluations - part 2

Everyone on our hydrocephalus list was there waiting for the arrival of the neurosurgery evaluation team. Depending on age and severity of the blockage in the ventricles of the brain head circumferences vary in size.

Mothers wait with hope for assistance for their child.

Here is another boy who can stand. These children need a lot of physiotherapy and the families have to be patient. Progress is not always fast. Some progress faster than others.

There was plenty of room for the children and their parents. Extra seating was brought in from other parts of the hospital to accommodate all the children. All the patients were requested to be there early in the morning. Healing Hands provided a lunch for all the parents.

Jonel Colo and his mother are awaiting their turn to see the doctor. Because of the pressure sores on the side of his head, the mother was told that he would not be a candidate for surgery. She was upset at the news but accepted this as God's will. Please keep Jonel and his mother in prayer.

photos - hydrocephalus evaluations - part 3

This little boy has a bright face and a happy smile!

With treatment some of these children can go on to live a normal life depending on the severity of brain damage .

Vanessa Jules is doing well according to her post-op evaluation. She is a talkative girl as well.

This young girl is waiting for her evaluation.

Carmillo and his mother also stayed with us for one night. We drove them home the next day. The families are appreciative of the assistance that they receive. Sometimes they telephone me or Lukner just to say hello.

photos - hydrocephalus evaluations - part 4

This mother was waiting in hope that her daughter would be one of the chosen ones for hydrocephalus surgery.

Daphka Desir was hospitalized in 2006 when she was only 22 days old with meningitis. Her head circumference started to increase. Hydrocephalus is a condition sometimes caused by a meningitis infection in the brain. According to the mother there was leakage of fluid after several months and the head circumference started to decrease. She had a photo to prove it. This is the first case that I have seen of a hydrocephalus going away by itself. She still has brain damage though but when the mother sees the other babies around her who have large heads she feels that her child has been blessed. She had come to Coram Deo looking for help a few months ago.

After the patients were seen they headed for home. This photo is the entrance of the Hopital Universitair de la Paix (Peace Hospital). This state hospital is located on Delmas 33. We give the Lord thanks that the government supports the hydrocephalus project by providing the facilities for the neurosurgery team to operate. Project Medishare and Healing Hands co-ordinate the surgeries with the Ministry of Health. Pray for the upcoming surgeries.

We gave a few of the families rides home. It is difficult to transport hydrocephalus children on public transport and we try to help when we can.

Lafton is a smart and joyful boy. While riding in the pickup truck he was singing some of the songs that he knew. He has a good voice. One of the songs he sang was "Jesus Seul" (only Jesus).

photos - various children, truck

Mykerson Pierre is a 5-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy. We brought him over to the physiotherapy clinic behind Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs Children's Hospital. Once he gets a doctor's letter he will be accepted into the program. This program is a real blessing because the family doesn't have to pay for each physiotherapy session they attend.

Rebecca Beaubrun is a 16-month-old girl who came to Coram Deo this week with her mother.

She was born with clubbed feet. We put her on our medical search list. Pray we can find a doctor to help her. Her left foot is worse than her right.

Dominique Joseph is a 3-year-old boy who has some sort of shoulder problem. He doesn't have good mobility in his arm/shoulder. We are going to take him to Healing Hands to get a doctor to examine him.

The defense on the back of Kimosabee, the pick-up truck is drooping after being involved in his 13th accident. Somebody rear-ended us while we were stopped. It is a good thing that the defense bar is strong!

haiti update - march 30, 2009

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28,29

Hi! One day this week Lukner came to work in the morning excited over what had happened at an evening worship service that he attended. He explained to me what happened. It was around midnight and the worship leader was praying when he suddenly stopped and announced to the congregation that one of the members had not fully converted to God. He pointed to this individual, and told him that he had not completely given up his voodoo attachment. This individual was the person who owned the land where the people were meeting. The worship leader then said that they should all go to this person’s house to investigate. When they entered the home they found a voodoo shrine dedicated to the spirits with all kinds of objects and things to keep the spirits happy. The people took these things and dumped them onto the street and then lit a large bonfire and burned them all. This individual thought he could follow both religions. He provided a place as host for prayer services and also provided a voodoo shrine for the spirits. After everything was burned he was not rejoicing. He was crying in fear that now the spirits would get even. The congregation assured him that the devil has no power over the church and everyone went home rejoicing. Pray for this individual, that he would completely serve the Lord and not place a foot in both worlds.
Mykerson Pierre is a 5-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy. We went with him to the physiotherapy clinic that is on Tabarre and behind the Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs Childrens’ Hospital. This was our first visit there. Because of our funding problems we are not able to pay for the physiotherapy consultations at Healing Hands. At the Tabarre physiotherapy clinic it is free. All that is needed to qualify for the program is a reference letter from a doctor. This new physiotherapy clinic has only just recently opened and is a blessing for those children who need regular physiotherapy. Pray for their efforts as they work with handicapped children here in Port-au-Prince.
The hydrocephalus evaluations were held on March 27th at Hopital La Paix. New patients were evaluated and post-surgery evaluations were made on children who have already received operations. The day prior to the evaluations we picked up Guerdson Delile and his mother at the wharf where the Jeremie boat arrives. It is located near Cite Soleil. While she was boarding the boat in Jeremie I had received a phone call from Guerdson’s mother. She called to tell me that the person in charge of fares just hit her because she didn’t have enough money. They still let her travel though. She was short 100 gourdes (about $2.50US). I guess that was the price of her beating. We also picked up Calwens Sanon and his mother who had come in from Gonaives. From time to time we house out of town patients here at Coram Deo. Both Guerdson and Calwens had surgery already in November and Guerdson was examined and it was determined that he was doing well. Calwens needs to get another cat scan done. He may need another surgery. We will need to get another cat scan done before April 4th. Parents will be notified on April 3rd for those who get selected for surgery. It is a difficult decision for the neurosurgery team. Not everyone who needs surgery will be selected. Pray for the upcoming surgeries and the parents of those who have hydrocephalus children. Jonel Colo, the hydrocephalus baby who has 2 large pressure sores on the side of his head will not be able to have surgery. The doctor explained this to the mother and she then came over to the house to let me know what the doctor said. She was crying but understood and accepted the news as God’s will. We gave her a ride to her home, which is located in the Tabarre region. On Saturday morning we drove Guerdson and his mother to the wharf to board a boat back to Jeremie. We gave her money to pay for the ticket. This time she paid full price and won’t have to put up with a beating!
We received a response from the USNS Comfort Hospital ship that will be arriving in April. We sent in 14 applications for adults and children, with orthopedic, gynecology, plastic surgery, eye, and general surgery needs. I was hoping that we would get a couple selected by the team to be seen. Instead, all of them got selected. This is a real blessing! Now the challenge will be to get all their medical records together and get them all there for their appointment on April 10th at the Killick Coast Guard Station! Pray for the plans being made to bring this hospital ship to Haiti.
This week we also had a couple of new medical cases come to the house. Rebecca Beaubrun is a 15-month-old girl who was born with clubbed feet and we added her name to our new medical list. There is never a shortage of medical problems here in Haiti.
I was walking through the neighborhood and met up with Mackenson of the Judas Gang. He asked me for some medicine for a bad headache. He told me that he got hit by a rock after trying to break up a fight between a guy and his girlfriend. He said that he felt fortunate because the braids in his hair acted as a cushion to absorb some of the impact from the rock. We went back to the house and I gave him the Tylenol and he thanked me for it. I didn’t believe his story though. Later I told Lukner what happened and he laughed. A few days earlier there were a couple of guys trying to break into a house in the Delmas 31 neighborhood. The caretakers of the property spotted them and the 2 thieves jumped over the wall. One of these thieves landed on his shoulder and head and the caretakers were amazed that this thief got up and ran away. Hopefully the blow to his head knocked some sense into Mackenson. Pray for Mackenson, that he gives up the thieving life.
Kimosabee the pick-up truck got rear-ended for what I think is the 13th time this week. The defense bar is drooping a little bit and will now need to be adjusted. I was stopped near the Bon Repos bridge when a car ran into the back. We got out of the truck and asked the man driving the vehicle why he ran into us. He said that he didn’t see us. Now I am going to have to paint a different color or something on the back of the truck so that people stop running into the back of it. I am going to ask the next team that comes to Haiti to paint black and white stripes on the back so that the truck is more visible.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo