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Stories

May 2024 Update

Many of you have seen the news over the last 2 months in Haiti. The situation for our partners is challenging, but we are heartened by their resolve.

In light of recent events, we have revived our podcast on healthcare in Haiti. While the security situation in the country is difficult to grasp, lack of healthcare is easy to understand.

The most pressing health concern is lack of food. The population of people in Haiti that face acute hunger is an even 50%. This is the second-highest rate in the world behind South Sudan (53%). To put this into perspective, this is higher than the immediate aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, and in 2014, only 2% of Haiti’s population faced acute hunger.

As always, hunger affects children the most. An estimated 277,000 children face acute malnutrition and the rate is the highest in our department, Croix-des-Bouquets.

Fortunately, our clinic is built around holistic care, particularly for children. Moments like these are why we exist. Through great difficulty, our partners were able to obtain cases of ready-to-eat Plumpy’Nut from the north of Haiti and ship them on commercial buses to the clinic.

Many, many healthcare facilities are closed across the country. The main Port-au-Prince hospital was finally overrun and closed by gangs; patients were left behind as staff fled. Despite briefly closing consultations, our clinic has been back open for the last month. Our telemedicine link is also back up and running, allowing both myself and our other doctors to resume seeing patients.

We know that working in Haiti is a long race, requiring persistence and flexibility. You have to be able to bend, but not break. Although it is cliché, it is fundamental to our ability to continue to see patients.

Peace,

Tram Jones
Medical Director

Our clinic is one of the few healthcare centers that remain open in the Croix-des-Bouquets area. Most of the staff are pictured here – they are such inspiring leaders!
Stories

2022 Year-End Update

The end of the year gives us a chance to look back on the challenges and unexpected joys of working in Haiti. 2022 was a hard year, from gas shortages to violence and a new cholera outbreak. Even so, have reason to hope and celebrate. All our clinic employees have made it through the year safely and they continue to serve patients every week. We are working to install a solar system at the temporary clinic location so that we can continue to work regardless of gas shortages, and this project should be done in early January.

We are deeply grateful to all our partners who make this work possible. Your generosity is a powerful expression of the call to love our neighbor, and we are humbled to count you as friends.

Below is a story that embodies the mix of emotions that so often surfaced in 2022 – sadness and grief, certainly, but also joy, new life, and hope for the future.

Juliette’s story

Juliette Mangat, a 40-year-old mother of seven, lives in the mountain village of Bouzi, north of Croix-des-Bouquets. She was eight months pregnant with her eighth child when her husband was tragically killed by gang members while on his way to work. She was left alone as the sole caregiver and provider for her children.

As the final month of her pregnancy went on, she developed severe pain in her abdomen. She called her local midwife, one of many trained and supported by the partnership of Lespwa Timoun and Light from Light.

Juliette’s midwife referred her to the Lespwa Timoun clinic. When she made it down the mountain, she was seen by two of our physicians. She was suffering from severe bleeding and her hemoglobin (a measure of anemia) had dropped precipitously to seven. Doctors were worried that the placenta was separating from the uterine wall, which is potentially fatal to both mother and child.

The clinic had one of their drivers transport the mother to a local hospital for an emergency C-section. One of the nurses accompanied the pair in the vehicle to continue to provide care. The first hospital did not have blood available, so our drivers took her to a second hospital. Because of the Lespwa Timoun team’s dedication, Juliette was able to have a safe and sterile surgery and give birth to a healthy, happy baby.

Our clinic saw her three weeks after delivery to remove the sutures, and both mother and baby were doing well. If the Lespwa Timoun chain of care—from midwives to doctors to drivers—had not been in place, this small family would not have survived.

Thank you for continuing to partner with our staff amid the turmoil of Haiti. Despite the many challenges and dangers, the clinic continues to work to serve their neighbors in the Port-au-Prince area. We hope you have a blessed New Year.

Stories, Uncategorized

February 2019 Protests

 

 

As many of you have heard, the chaos of everyday life in Haiti escalated recently when thousands took to the streets to protest growing inflation and the alleged misuse of funds by the Haitian government. From February 7 through 15, streets were barricaded, homes and businesses were vandalized and looted, and some protests even turned violent. As a result, Haiti was on lockdown for over a week. Schools, public transportation, and businesses were all closed, including our partner, the Lespwa Timoun Clinic, which was unable to see patients for over a week. In a country where most people struggle on a daily basis to meet basic needs, being unable to leave their homes meant many suffered from food and water shortages.

Our partners in Haiti described the protests as stressful, but clinic staff and families remained safe. Carmel Valdema, clinic founder and coordinator, shared a reflection during this time: “Can you imagine staying for 9 days at home? Nine? I was thinking about the kids Lespwa Timoun had in the hospital, children who are in the Nutrition Program who needed to replenish their supply of Plumpy’Nut or akamil (ak1000). In many places, people don’t have water, food, gas, or charcoal to cook. It is so hard.”

Currently, protests are paused while the Haitian government begins to address citizen concerns and reform issues. Lespwa Timoun reopened on Monday, February 18, and staff remains focused on providing quality care. Light from Light remains dedicated to Lespwa Timoun and the people of Haiti, and we ask you to join us in keeping them in your prayers.

In Haiti, we know there are no quick fixes, but we are blessed and encouraged by the resilience, hope and faith of our Haitian friends. Light from Light continues to focus on empowering proven local leaders, like Carmel Valdema, to build and sustain long-lasting change. By joining with them, we are feeding the flame of hope and healing in Haitian communities. It is our prayer that this flame will shine brighter than the chaos surrounding it in the days ahead.

 

Blessings,

Miranda DuBose

Executive Director

Light from Light

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