Haiti

We became involved with Haiti about 16 years ago and have made more than 15 medical missions trips there. The areas we visit are PAP and Canaan, which is about 45 minutes outside of PAP. This area has been ravaged by gangs recently (since summer of 2018) as had downtown PAP. For this reason, we have not made any trips ourselves for the last few years. Political unrest has added to the difficulties in getting through the airport area and any travel through PAP and beyond. Additionally, through two foundations, ours and Vwazen Nou, we have supported school feeding and school supplies programs as well as the community health workers’ service to about 240 people in the Delma 30 region. They have received medical care as well as medicines and weekly visits for the last 15 years.

Cholera: has hit here once again and is spreading fast. It is water born and as videos will show below, floods are common in some areas including LaRousse. We are supplying clean water for the community at the low cost of about $100 a month. Dehydration is the greatest threat to life for the youngest and the oldest. As the New York Times recently reported, many do not make it to the hospital in time. Hospitals are overcrowded and getting to the hospital requires hiding and running repeatedly to get from home to hospital.

Gangs: have taken over the city. Most commerce has shut down. The docks where everything comes into the country have been blocked by the gangs for two months. The docks recently opened back up to release gasoline and food supplies.

School: The Institution Mixte Emilien Mike Curtus is named after its founder, Mike Curtus whom we met as a translator for our medical clinics throughout his high school and college years. He was gunned down in December 2021 by a gang in a random act. We continue to pay $750 a month for teachers’ salaries and school lunches. The photos illustrate that life in the school goes on.

Politics: Most of you know the president was assassinated in 2021. There has been a void since then, no one is in charge and gangs have filled in the space. The police force seems impotent to take out the gangs. People join gangs for community, for family. The solutions are somewhat known but never placed into action.