News - May 19, 2010
Haiti Update from Congregation Leadership
It's quite some time since we sent out a message on Haiti; meanwhile, there have been some few articles in the newspapers and on TV but for the most part Haiti has disappeared from the international horizon. The people of Haiti, however, get on with trying to rebuild their lives and we can take some consolation from the support that continues to flow to Haiti from our Sisters, Associates and many friends. Several of our ministries, too, PeaceHealth and Holy Name among others, have made very significant contributions to the hospital at Milot, and in the UK schools, parishes and organizations that know our Sisters have channeled very generous contributions through Rearsby. In Ireland, relatives, friends and their contacts have responded with tremendous generosity. We are touched by the selflessness of so many. As one of our Sisters wrote, It made me think about the decision we made to sponsor a project rather than have a big celebration for our 125th. If our Sisters were not down there, the above (offers of money and equipment) probably would not have happened. God has really blessed us.
Meanwhile, some of the media attention inevitably focuses on the things that go wrong - lack of a strong government in Port-au-Prince, unemployment, gangs, continuing homelessness, and so on. But there is good news, too. Maureen Boggins sent this with the message: Let's pray that this works out.
So, to bring you up to date: First, we want to tell you that the three Sisters, Ann Crawley, CSJP, Maureen Boggins, CSJP and Marilee Murphy, CSJP, took some time out at the end of March and early April and came up to the States. Ann and Maureen are back in Milot while Marilee is presently at St Mary-on-the-Lake, Bellevue. We have been blessed by their presence to the victims of the earthquake; the staff and volunteers at the hospital as well those at the are lavish in their appreciation of all they have done. Your prayers and support are still very necessary as they continue to meet the many challenges before them.
The following extract from a message written recently by, Dr Peter Kelly, the President of CRUDEM, may help you visualize the situation there:
We now have 162 patients from the earthquake and 81 patients from our area in northern Haiti. There are 40 patients that are anxiously awaiting discharge this week which will leave us with a total of 203 inpatients. When patients are ready for discharge we give them the option of settling in our area or returning to Port au Prince. The majority choose to return to Port au Prince where their families are located. We give them food, money and a tent when we discharge them and provide transportation by bus to Port au Prince.
As we discharge patients we are using the tents [large tents acquired to create a field hospital in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake] for different purposes. The first tent has now become the outpatient clinic with 8 exam rooms and a triage area. A canopy was built between the wall and the tent to create a waiting area for the 200+ outpatients that are seen every day. The second tent is used for post op patients which has allowed us to clear the hallways of the hospital of patients and increase the space for our inpatient medical and maternity patients. Our hospital has returned to a unified staff of Haitians and volunteers working side by side.
Dr Kelly goes on to describe the various projects which will create permanent or semi-permanent buildings rather than the tent buildings that have met the needs of so many patients.
Ann Crawley continues with her work on the nutritional needs of the patients, as well as responding to the multiplicity of calls that change from hour to hour. Maureen has resumed English language lessons for the staff, while continuing her involvement with the many children who came from Port au Prince and are not yet ready to return there, and the local children and parents who come to the out-reach nutrition center. Maureen's and Ann's Creole continues to improve, especially now as the number of volunteers decreases and they return to greater interaction with the Haitian staff. And this, in turn, is bringing them a much greater sense of being "at home" in Milot, learning about the culture from the people themselves and picking up those tidbits of information that come only through daily contact.
Currently, they tell us, the arrival of three large containers is causing great excitement. Two have brought supplies for the hospital, and local people will earn a little money transferring these to the store rooms. Our picture shows the men waiting in hope of picking up some work.
Hoping for workHaiti-Waiting to be called
One particularly long air-conditioned container truck has been set up as a prosthetic limb laboratory, a much needed facility since after the earthquake, and one that will serve the people of Haiti for many years.
Maureen tells us that the costs of producing even one prosthetic limb are very high; your contributions have helped enormously and your support continues to be important.
We pray in gratitude for your great generosity and support, and in hope for life, peace and security for the Haitian people.