Haiti continues to suffer from unpredictable political and economic upheaval. Over 80% of Haitians are desperately poor, including those living in the slums of Bon Repos where the EMAS team works. There the community of El-Shaddai Baptist Church, under the leadership of Pasteur St. Hilaire, is refreshingly altruistic, their energy and vision directed towards a better community.





October 2007

Our next mission trip will be to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in February 2008. The main focus of this trip will be medical/dental teaching clinics, including nursing education, primary school and nutrition centre support, as well as community capacity building.


Special Blessing

A 16 year-old girl came to the medical clinic with a severe post-partum pelvic infection, likely complicated by pelvic abscess. I predicted she would not survive the night, as she was in septic shock. We had no ICU and no surgeon to help her, so I just put her on two oral antibiotics (supplied by HPIC Physician Travel Pack) and 1 IV antibiotic supplied by a local physician and admitted her to an overnight observation bed in the physician's clinic. I asked her if she was prepared to die and she said "yes" as she loved the Lord and was ready for him to take her home. The next morning, she got out of bed, and asked to go home to see her four-day-old baby, and we discharged her still on two oral antibiotics. (I instructed the Haitian physician to keep her on the antibiotics for six weeks). As far as I know, she is still alive and very thankful for the miraculous blessing that she has received!

Future Needs

We’re in the midst of planning the design and construction of a $200,000 community health centre. We need prayer support and fundraising assistance to move this grass-roots initiative forward.

Dr. Pierre J. Plourde
pplourde@wrha.mb.ca

January 2006

This one-week mission did not provide opportunities to explore networks and partnerships as trips to downtown Port-au-Prince offices were impossible, due to extreme political unrest and curfews. Approximately a dozen kidnappings took place daily, during our stay in Port-au-Prince.

Two concurrent teaching medical clinics were held at El-Shaddai Baptist Church (January 16-18). It was impossible to work at the Centre Hospitalier Antoine Robert due to political unrest in the neighbourhood where the clinic is located. Both clinics were supported by a fully equipped pharmacy of essential drugs and supplies provided in two Physician Travel Packs and one Dental Travel Pack obtained from HPIC. The clinic was also supported by a children’s recreation area managed by Ms. Wendy Doy (EMAS staff worker). Every child was given a toy to take home, prior to being seen at the clinic; 210 patients were seen and 314 prescriptions were filled during the 3-day clinic. We are exploring the possibility of improving the Dental Clinic operated by a member of El-Shaddai Baptist Church.

Vicky Amisial, member of El-Shaddai Baptist Church and a former “graduate” of EFC, is completing her fourth year of a seven-year medical education program in Port-au-Prince at Université Quisqueya Medical School. Vicky reports that she is doing very well, but her transcripts have still not been forwarded.

Dr. Plourde presented a lecture-discussion on the Treatment of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis to nursing students from the Centre Hospitalier Antoine Robert. Dr. Larry Reynolds and Dr. Teresa Wawrykow presented a lecture-discussion on Approaches to Post Partum Haemorrhage to nursing students from the Centre Hospitalier Antoine Robert. The teaching sessions were very well received by the nursing students.

We are in support of a future Public Health and Primary Care initiative at the El-Shaddai Community Health Centre. The urban slum where EFC is located in Bon Repos, does not have access to a hospital. A local government hospital was demolished in the mid-to-late 1980’s and has never been replaced. Land was recently acquired by El-Shaddai Baptist Church to build a Community Health Centre, which is Pasteur St. Hilaire’s long-term vision. Some of us spent a half-day at the site. Data obtained from these site visits will be used by a Winnipeg architect to design a new church building and community health centre for the El-Shaddai community.

We are also supporting a medical student throughout her seven-year program. Dr. Plourde and his wife, Ms. Krista Waring, are continuing to raise support for Vicky’s school costs via personal and solicited donations to EMAS. Dr. Teresa Wawrykow, family medicine resident from the University of Manitoba, worked alongside Vicky for the duration of the clinic, under the supervision of Dr. Plourde. Discussions with Pastor St. Hilaire have also begun concerning the feasibility of raising support to upgrade a nurse from the El-Shaddai community to a nurse practitioner level of competency. We are evaluating the feasibility of establishing a “student exchange” partnership between the University of Manitoba and Université Quisqueya Medical Schools. It is unclear if a “student exchange” partnership will ever be feasible, considering recent and on-going political realities in Haiti.


Conclusion

Haiti continues to go from worse to worst. Unpredictable political and economic upheaval makes any initiative in Haiti almost impossible. It is easy to get discouraged. Two of St. Hilaire’s friends, were captured by kidnappers in the fall of 2005. One pastor was killed and the other was released after St. Hilaire managed to raise the $20,000 USD ransom demanded. Over 80% of Haitians are desperately poor, including the majority of St. Hilaire’s community in Bon Repos. But the community of El-Shaddai Baptist Church is refreshingly joyful, amidst this suffering, and striving for some independence in achieving their goals of a better community, albeit recognizing their need for external partners. It is hoped and anticipated that at some time in the future, a viable Community Health Centre will be established by and for this community. Success will likely require input from local NGOs (not an easy task in a country so full of mistrust and corruption), as well as on-going involvement and encouragement from EMAS-sponsored teams and resources.

The El-Shaddai Baptist Church is a beacon in the midst of a thick and pervasive darkness. As long as modern-day saints like St. Hilaire and his Board of elders continue to be fully committed to this ministry and its vision in Bon Repos, there will always be hope for this community.

January 2005

In 1982, Dr. Pierre Plourde visited Haiti as a medical student following his passion for tropical medicine with the help of an EMAS-sponsored practicum.

His Creole language tutor was St. Hilaire Faniel, at that time a teenager just finishing high school. Although the practicum lasted only six weeks, the relationship blossomed via correspondence. Dr. Plourde went on to specialize in infectious
diseases and St. Hilaire pursued the ordained ministry at a Haitian seminary.

Many mission trips have taken place over the years, and in January 2005 Dr. Plourde again visited Haiti, this time with a dentist, an occupational therapist, and a community health resident from the University of Manitoba. A freelance photojournalist was also part of the EMAS team and documented the various aspects of the team's work, including an exploration of Christian ministry in a voodoo dominated culture.

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