From the Directors | Lamp For Haiti

Training for Women’s Health — by Moza-Flaure Alcius

July 3, 2012 Featured, From the Executive Director

Training for Women’s Health: A New Experience

Moza-Flaure Alcius (in the turquoise scrubs) Lamp for Haiti nurse

[This is an article from our latest newsletter. Find all the newsletters under the News tab]

I worked for two years at the clinic in Bwa Nèf, Cité Soleil. In addition to my normal nursing duties I was in charge of a nutrition program that involves treating children, from 0 to 5 years old, who are suffering from malnutrition. Then, a few months ago, I was invited to participate in a training program for midwives. The program is an initiative of an organization called Midwives for Haiti and is located in Hinche, a three hour drive north of Port-au-Prince. It is a 10 month program and I jumped at the chance to gain a different kind of experience and acquire new knowledge about health.

As with the other successful candidates, I went through an interview process in November, and started the courses in mid-January. There are 16 students in the course, 14 women and 2 men, all with different backgrounds and experiences. They come from many different places in Haiti. The courses are not hard and are becoming more and more captivating. They are based on obstetrics and community health and are taught in Creole.

On some days we learn theory in class, and on other days we are given practical training at the hospital. The practical work in the hospital is very helpful; it allows us to encounter cases that we have not yet learned about, and later we discuss these cases in class. We also participate in mobile clinics that may go to very remote areas. In these areas pregnant women may easily die due to complications, because of the lack of health services. We saw one patient in her fifties who had already had several children. She said that she was in her fourth or fifth month of pregnancy, but when we examined her and gave her a pregnancy test, we discovered that she was not pregnant. When we explained that she was going through menopause, she did not want to believe us and said she would consult someone else, because she knew she was pregnant.

Experiences like this show us how much we can offer; being a midwife is no small affair. Women without means, whether in remote areas or in Cité Soleil, need care to ensure that they have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy should not be a life-threatening affair because of a lack of care or lack of education. I am proud to take part in this program because it will permit me to do my part to reduce maternal mortality in Cité Soleil, to empower women to take control of their own childbearing, and to bring healthy babies into the world.

Thank you for your confidence and kindness!

July 2, 2012 Featured, From the Medical Director

On behalf of those whom we work with and for, a resounding Thank you! for your generosity in material, finances and spirit. We are making a difference.

Since the earthquake of January 2010, we have refocused our mission to prioritize that which provides direct patient care, and related services. In short we want to keep our strengths strong and we are doing just that.

Some accomplishments to highlight…

Nurse training

Ms Flaure, one of our top nurses, is presently receiving advanced training in Hinche about 37 miles north of Port-au-Prince in the country’s central plateau region. The program is run by an organization called Midwives for Haiti (http://www.midwivesforhaiti.org/). She will return to work for us in December and will manage the women’s program.

Expanded hours

While previously we were able to see patients three days per week, we now are open five. Under the direction of Dr Barrere Hyppolite and Mr. Benoit Florestal, the facility is operating in a manner consistent with our goal of being about Haiti, run by Haitians.

Laboratory

Our laboratory has been inspected by the Ministry of Health, and we passed with flying colors. We perform basic serologies, blood counts, blood and sputum smears (for malaria, TB and other tropical illnesses). Miss Aline, our certified lab techinician, keeps the lab in top shape.

Pharmacy Expansion

Our pharmacy provides medications to patients at no charge. Periodically we revisit the notion of patients paying a small stipend for the meds. The reality is that when patients need to pay, they forgo treatment. Most people get by on about 50 cents daily in the area where we work.

Leadership

Perhaps more than anything, the leadership now in Lamp for Haiti has taken a huge step forward. Dr Barrere Hyppolite and Mr Benoit Florestal together set the tone for professionalism as they work each day, often under extreme circumstances, to ensure that patients are receiving quality health care.

Partnerships

We have partnered with several organizations providing health care and related services in Haiti. Among them are Americares and Pure Water for the World. We provide logistics support at Cardinal Stepinac orphanage in Bon Repos, located about 30minutes outside of Port-au-Prince.

Tension in Cité Soleil — the Lamp shines on

April 19, 2012 From the Executive Director

I’ve just come back from two weeks at the clinic in Haiti and the topic on the top of my thoughts is security. The Lamp’s work goes on as always, the staff are ever-more impressive, the quality of care always improving, but there is little doubt that life and work in Bwa Nèf is becoming more and more risky.

I have always been very aware that the Lamp’s special significance is its willingness to work in an area that few would even dare to visit — but this trip made the reality come alive for me.

The Lamp for Haiti works in Bwa Nèf, a section of the sprawling slum of Cité Soleil. All of Cité Soleil is impoverished and to some degree dangerous, but Bwa Nèf has a reputation well below the norm. It is a place that is outside of any normal government concern — the residents must sink or swim on their own. The area is dominated by local gangs that threaten, harass and rob the residents, and demand “protection money” from local businesses. On the main roads they surround and rob passing cars, including even long distance buses with 60 passengers or more. Bwa Nèf has always been a risky place to work but it has been getting worse.

The week before I arrived, a gang in a neighboring area shot and killed the principal of a local school along with the head of a well-known radio station and two other people. Police response to this type of incident takes the form of armed forays into the residential areas in search of the guilty parties. Pitched gun battles are the result, with innocent bystanders the frequent victims of gunshot wounds. Gangs take the opportunity to commit robberies wherever they wish. In this instance, gang members stormed through Bwa Nèf, robbing residents with abandon, and burning at least two homes. Many people in the area responded by simply fleeing — staying away from Bwa Nef altogether until the situation had settled.

When I arrived I found that local gang members had increased their visits to our clinic, demanding money. I braced myself for a conversation with them but other things intervened, for good or ill. A couple of days after my arrival a group of policemen crashed into our clinic, pointing their guns at the staff and demanding to know if we had been treating any “bandits”. They were, it seemed, searching for a gang member they had wounded in a recent shoot-out. It is certain they would have shot him dead if he had been at the clinic that day. Ironically enough, their aggressive behavior scared the staff more than any gang member ever had.

A couple of days later two bodies were found on the main road, very near to the clinic, and gang activity died down in anticipation of local police action.

It is a hard neighborhood, there is no doubt. Our own hope is this: that we can continue to build our reputation in the area, for neutrality, community service, and genuine caring, to the point that all community members, even the gangs, view us as an integral part of the community. Something to be protected rather than attacked. Our many meetings with community leaders show us that we do have a tremendous amount of respect and support in the community. With their help, and with the inspiring commitment of our staff, we will push through the hard times, put down deeper roots and, together with the community itself, grow stronger.

Please note that your donations to the Lamp will directly support our activities in Bwa Nèf, Cité Soleil — a community that is as impoverished and deserving as any in the world. Your compassionate consideration is very much appreciated.

February 28, 2012 – A Place of Respect in the Community

February 28, 2012 From the Medical Director

If you have ever known someone with true bipolar disease, formerly known as manic depressive disorder, you know that it can be painful.

When I was in medical school I lived downstairs from Don. He had a severe case of the disorder. Don was usually in pretty good shape, but occasionally when he felt himself with the twinges suggesting mania, he would deliberately stop his meds and go manic. He would feel great, until he didn’t . Usually he would wind up in a hospital several states away, feeling “…rather strange.” He had trouble expounding, but he knew it was not normal.

Yesterday I had the feeling that mine was a reportable case of bipolar disorder, but rather than a week or a month of sadness followed by an equal time of mania, I had these feelings at the same time. It really should be in a medical journal somewhere.

As we were driving into Cite Soleil, the huge, dirty urban slum was coming physically into view, and into smell. Strangely absent were the people, its streets typically teeming with their activity. Our manager Benoit was driving, and he slowed the vehicle to maintain a safe distance behind the truck ahead. He was not following the “one car length for every 10mph” as I like to remind the new drivers in my own home. Rather he was lagging behind to scope the road ahead and to ensure that should bandits suddenly appear with guns ready to pull a carjacking, we have a chance to turn around quick. The collegial chatter that normally reminds me of traveling home from high school with friends, suddenly ended. The nurses donned their Lamp for Haiti scrubs. The doctors put their stethoscopes around their necks. ( I gave mine to Toma, our registration clerk, thinking he would look silly in his sunglasses and trying to explain that he was with a medical team. ) We made it through, and the friendly banter rose up again to its normal volume.

The Lamp medical team has earned a place of respect in the community. Even the robbers will show some mercy, as they did two weeks ago and only stole about half of what they might have taken. Our staff’s courage in the face of such daily challenges is impressive, and they routine talk of the need to provide the care that they were trained to do.

Minutes later a young woman came in to be seen with pelvic pain. After examining her , and dong some simple tests in our lab, we were able to treat her with appropriate medications, professionally administered, in a way that made me beam with pride. The staff’s professionalism was standout. The young woman’s modesty and privacy was maintained, and she was treated with respect and kindness. Again, I think of college… I knew a gal who used to say “anyone can be nice”. And while not all follow even this minimum, what we are trying to provide is quality, not just nice care. We are doing that at Lamp.

Jim

YES, YOU CAN DRINK THE WATER!

January 25, 2012 From the Executive Director

One of the ways in which the Lamp for Haiti reduces illness and improves quality of life is by providing access to drinking water. In Haiti, the public water supply, even where available, is not potable. Water borne diseases are rampant within Cité Soleil, as in most areas of Haiti. The possibility of a fresh outbreak of cholera in any location is ever-present.

So it was with great satisfaction that the Lamp put not one, but two, water purification systems into place this week. The first — a solar powered unit — was installed at the Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center at Bon Repos (shown below). The orphanage is a great partner of the Lamp for Haiti, often assisting us in our efforts to move shipped goods through customs with dispatch, among many other things. The water will be a terrific boon to the kids (and staff!) at the orphanage, which had struggled with an inadequate water supply for many years.

The Bon Repos orphanage with the water system’s solar panels visible on the roof

The second system is a large “reverse osmosis” water purifier. Our thanks to US Water who donated this expensive and highly effective system. The unit is huge, filling a 20 foot shipping container, and can purify up to 100 gallons of water per minute. The unit has been set up at a local water purification plant, very near to Cité Soleil, in exchange for a tremendous quantity of pure water (16 million gallons, to be precise) and other services. The water will be brought into the Bwa Nèf community (where we work) and several other sites within Cite Soleil by truck.

Those of you who read our newsletter article on water projects may remember that the large “RO” machine was originally intended for a location within Cité Soleil, named Soleil Kat. We are also very happy to report that an American organization named Pure Water for the World has taken on the development of that location, and will be installing a full water purification station there. Although Cité Soleil has a very large population, the combination of these two sources of plentiful water are going to increase access to drinking water very significantly!

New Faces at the Lamp

December 12, 2011 From the Executive Director

The Lamp is thrilled to introduce our two newest staff members. Thanks to many excellent recommendations from our partners in Haiti we have been able to find two people who represent a perfect combination of professional skill and genuine compassion. We hope and assume that they will be with us for many years to come!

Dr. Barrère Hyppolite is our new In-Country Medical Director. He will oversee all clinic activities and, in tandem with Dr. Jim Morgan, will work to plan and implement the many additional services that we will be offering in the coming years. Dr. Hyppolite was working in a hospital in Cap Haitien prior to accepting this position and we are very happy that he felt the desire to come back to his hometown of Port-au-Prince!

Dr. Hyppolite and Benoit Florestal

Mr. Benoit Florestal is our new National Program Manager. He will be the administrative head of the Lamp’s programs in Haiti. As a well-experienced financial manager he will help us ensure that your contributions are used in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Benoit has only been with us for three weeks but his skills, his rapport with the community, and his genuine appreciation of the Lamp’s goals make it clear that he is a person, like Dr. Hyppolite, around whom we can build an ever-stronger and ever more effective organization.

In a community meeting last week, a local leader said, “Let the Lamp shine!” There is no doubt that, with these two new staff members, we will indeed keep the light shining, brighter than ever.

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA! The satisfaction of a deed well done

December 9, 2011 From the Executive Director

To give a loved one a gift that matters, make a donation to the Lamp for Haiti on their behalf!

How it works:

Send us an email message at admin@wordpress-92375-260288.cloudwaysapps.com with:
— the name and address of the person that will receive the gift
— your name (the name of the giver)or tell us to make the gift “anonymous”.
— the amount of the donation

We will send the person a card like the one you see above!

Then make your donation on this site (the Donate button!) or send us a check at Box 39703, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Let your loved ones feel the satisfaction that comes with a gift of compassion.

A Marvelous Day in Montclair — Same Time Next Year?

October 4, 2011 From the Executive Director

The October 1 fundraiser at Van Vleck Gardens in Montclair, NJ, was a day-long musical marvel. The Van Vleck house and gardens were a stunning but intimate setting. The music was charming, intense, impressive, touching, unique, and beautiful. The atmosphere was so positive that thoughts immediately turned to the possibility of making this an annual event. Around 100 people attended — thanks to all of you.

Huge thanks must also go to:

• the Van Vleck House for providing the venue free of charge
• Alan Smith and Ana Maria Cardenas for organizing both the musical performances and all of the other logistics that go into making such an event succeed
• Christine Lapara, who contributed all of the proceeds of her terrific food to the Lamp (Montclair-ites: check out her business: Harvest Dog LLC — Organic Pet Treats, Creature Comforts — Pet Care Services)
• And of course the performers, all of whom donated 100% of their time:
o Julie Pasquale, storytelling (http://www.juliepasqual.blogspot.com)
o Terry McCarthy (http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/62141855)
o Rainy Day Cacophony (http://www.myspace.com/rainydaycacophony)
o Matt McDonald Group (http://www.myspace.com/mattmcdonaldgroup/music)
o Deivito and Friends (www.reverbnation.com/deivito)
o The Sirs (http://www.myspace.com/sirstheband)
o Thomas Wesley Stern (www.youtube.come/watch?v=0OzHG_yq9Nk)
o Rich Deans (http://www.richdeans.com/)
o The Micks (http://www.myspace.com/boquiver)
o Porchistas (www.theporchistas.com)
o Kagero (www.kagero.com)

What a pleasure it was!

The Van Vleck house and gardens
Terry McCarthy
Julie Pasquale, storyteller
Thomas Wesley Stern
Dr. Jim Morgan acknowledging a great Lamp supporter, Patrick O’Neill

A Day of Music, Dancing, Storytelling, and Community: Oct.1 in Montclair NJ!

September 10, 2011 From the Executive Director

Press release:

Don’t miss “Chante for Haiti” on October 1st, a fundraiser for the Lamp for Haiti. A day of great music, dancing, story telling and community, in support of an incredible organization!

We are happy to announce the following acts that will be performing:
Story-teller Julie Pasqual,
Terry McCarthy,
The Matt McDonald Group,
Deivito and Friends,
The Micks,
Rich Deans,
The Sirs,
Kagero,
The Porchistas,
Thomas Wesley Stern

All donations and food purchases will go to Lamp for Haiti’s vital programs that strive to ensure basic human rights in Cité Soleil and Port-au-Prince. In pursuit of this mission, the LAMP provides basic health care,investigates allegations of human right abuses, and provides educational and humanitarian aid. For more about Lamp For Haiti go to www.lampforhaiti.org

The Lamp for Haiti is a federally recognized 501(c)3 charitable organization qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions. Lamp for Haiti was co-founded by local physician, Dr. James P. Morgan, M.D, he first visited Haiti in 2002. He has returned many times since then providing medical services to residents of Cite Soleil, Pele, San Fil, and Jeremy. He is the recipient of the Friend of Haiti Award from the Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast and the Robert Carlson Award for outstanding clinical and humanitarian acumen.

The event will be held at the beautiful Van Vleck House & Gardens at 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair, NJ on Saturday, October 1st from 12 pm to 7 pm. Tickets are $20 per person for an all day music pass however we will accept $10 per person if that is all you can afford. We will work out discounted rates for large families who express hardship but want to be a part of the day. There is no rain date for the music concert. In the event of rain we will move inside The Van Vleck House. There is no alcohol or smoking allowed on the premises, inside or out.

Get more information at the Facebook invitation:
http://www.facebook.com/suciaschmelke/posts/267539013265631#!/event.php?eid=213849175340326

For more information about the event, volunteering opportunities, how to donate, or restaurants interested in donating food, contact Alan Smith alansmith101@gmail.com or Ana Maria Cardenas
Ana.maria.cardenas@verizon.net

The Ironman Fundraiser Crosses the Finish Line in Style

August 8, 2011 From the Executive Director

John Thornton, Patrick O’Neill (above) and Andrew Fried were among 2,400 racers participating in Ironman Lake Placid on July 24th, 2011. Skies were clear and temperatures in the mid-70s – ideal race conditions. Race day followed months of training and a successful fundraising campaign. The Team raised just over $14,000 for the Lamp to help fund its future expansion plans.

The Ironman race includes three legs – swim, bike and run – for a total distance of 140.6 miles. Racers swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Ironman events are held around the world every year with Lake Placid being one of the most challenging. We are happy to report that all three members of Team 140.6 Haiti crossed the finish line.

The generous support of all who contributed to the campaign is sincerely appreciated.