Day 5: Mobile Medical Clinic

Bonjou!

Today was a very big day, since we were able to host our annual mobile medical clinic! Thanks to many generous donors, we hauled a two huge duffles full of essential medical supplies to CESAH and with the help of 4 wonderful Haitian nurses, we had the opportunity to provide basic health care to the surrounding community. About 80 parents and their children waited in line for their turn to get a free medical checkup and have access to medicine they need. For most of these families, mobile medical clinics such as this one are the closest thing they have to health care. Access to affordable health care is a fundamental problem in Haiti, and many people desperately need the help. Since none of us students are medical professionals, our main role was to provide supplies and facilitate the nurses' work in whatever ways we could, which included separating and bagging medications for families to take home and entertaining the children while their parents were in with the nurses. For those of us living in the U.S., accessible health care is generally guaranteed, so we felt humbled to be able to share this experience with the families of CESAH.

Later, we spent some more time with Kim’s English students. Joining in on her class has been such a mutually beneficial experience because her students are so welcoming and teach us Kreyol, while we simultaneously provide an opportunity for them to practice their English. It has been an eye-opening experience to visit a country where you don't speak the language, as it is hard to communicate. You quickly learn to adapt to your surroundings and how to rely on other methods of communication. The students in Kim’s class are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, each with their own unique story to tell and aspirations to achieve. They love hearing about our lives as university students in the United States almost as much as we love learning about their lives in Haiti.

In the afternoon, we met with the Champ de Mars Rotary Club to present our proposal for a vocational training program at CESAH that would include the installation of solar panels. This proposal not only supports the current program in place, but it also expands its outreach and would provide the funds needed to bring in the support of more teachers. The meeting seemed to go well, and we are eager to hear back from the club about their decision!