Chris and Cathy's Haitian Adventures ...our daily walk with God: Though sick, none tarry

Over the past many weeks sickness has rotated through the staff here and yesterday Cathy was hit full-force. A massive, splitting headache (worse than she ever had), fever, chills and nausea had the doctor thinking malaria so after a day of bed rest I trundled her down to the local hospital for some blood work, which proved negative for malaria so its being treated as a viral infection. A good thing in the process though is we discovered we weren't taking full dosages of our anti-malarial which will start immediately and we'll keep an eye on Cathy who's feeling a bit better today, she's not out of the woods yet.

awaiting clinic entry and blood sampling, semi-orderly

blood analyses

Grand Goave IKEA, Wayne making new stools, and taking orders for more

The trip to the hospital was an experience, not totally different than a small hospital back home, minus the long lines, foreign language and concerns about germs... not that we don't have them in Canada. We managed to get our lab request shoved in to the attending staffer, and after a half hour or so she got in for the test. I took an interpreter back for the results, but by that time the hospital was closed to new patients so the crowds had gone.

multiple waiting areas, and more shade needed, a future tweak...

I think there's furniture in that container...

At the entry gate, initial registrations

professional consultation with team leader, keeping it working...

Now who wouldn't want an office like this?

Aside from attending to Cathy and concern over her health, work here is proceeding rapidly on many fronts, especially at the clinic and the Children's Village. The clinic is fairly humming along, the team having worked out many kinks and work-arounds where necessary and complaining this morning they didn't have enough patients! That wasn't the problem, the Haitians propensity for being late for everything (except flights and appointments to the US Ambassador) was so they eventually came. The initial influx on the first day included many not too sick coming looking for handouts, like the popular sunglasses and toothbrushes, whereas now the truly sick are making it in. The staff are working well and seem to really be enjoying the new clinic, like the consultation room under the banana trees, though tweaks are in order and will be addressed after departure.

inverter and battery back-up power system

"Friends helping friends health centre" now open to the public

fence sections getting prepared for final placement

welding shop under the mango tree...

We're still finishing odd items, like fence sections, the inverter battery back-up system and signs and that will continue too into next week and perhaps beyond.

prepping for planting

multi-use land

approaching the South Property from the north

At the Children's Village, great progress is happening as crews of block-layers, cement mixers, haulers and others are together building the foundation walls and starting the significant back-filling now underway. Calculations are for between 150-250 yds of material needed (a lot) so Marc has located a gravel-filled stream-bed nearby partially owned by church members and is digging it up and moving it into place. Since the rivers belong "to the people" (government) he's getting a great deal too. The Moose Jaw team has joined right in and is working well with the Haitians, learning new skills, like brick-laying, as well as learning mechanization is a great thing! They hope to have it completely back-filled before departure, a major task, that only 2 days ago seemed impossible but now may be within reach.