When I left Michigan for Haiti on October 8, I did not think that I would actually make it to my return ticket for December.
I thought after a week or two. it would get bad again in-country, and I’d be forced to leave.
But, I thought, even if I could spend just a little while in Port-au-prince, I’d at least be able to take care of a few things at the clinic, my house, with my vehicle, and with the generators (so they wouldn’t need even more expensive work down the road).
It was so nice to be able to do all that and more! I was also able to get the clinic back up and running!
The first day of maternity clinic, we were visited by a mom and her 2-week-old baby! Even though momma missed out on the maternity clinic while she was carrying her little guy, she still was able to utilize the clinic after his birth. I was able to help them both with medical issues they were struggling with, do some education, and help them with some of the things the clinic provides.
Sometimes clinic is a real struggle. It’s hard to do education without offending the culture at times. And sometimes the culture really makes me want to pull my hair out.
This look is not because I don’t like holding babies…
An example of the cultural struggle I face, upon my return, this kiddo was the first patient in the maternity program — and she delivered 2 weeks after I returned.
When Momma came back with her baby (surprisingly only 16 hours after delivery) I asked her how nursing was going. She advised me that she was not able to feed the baby until she takes a bath, and she is not allowed to take a bath for 3 days.
I took the opportunity to advised her that there was no medical basis to support her belief, and I gave her some other options. But she was set on her decision and was not going to budge.
Thankfully, I saw her a couple weeks later, and somehow the baby survived her first 3 days of life without any nutrition or hydration. Life in Haiti is so difficult. And I’d love if such drastic beliefs were not part of the struggle!
Medical clinic is always busy.
The medical system only gets more broken and the costs become more out of reach for many. One day there was a miscommunication with one of the pastors that works at the clinic compound, and it resulted in me seeing 62 patients in one day! Thankfully they were all fairly simple issues, so the time passed quickly and I could see everyone without turning any of them away.
So many of the issues are due to the basic lack of food, good hygiene, and clean water. Many of the patients now complain of skin issues, but almost all of them are using the old powder laundry soap to take a bath (the cheapest form of soap they can find). It causes a lot of issues — and the label on the soap package actually warns to not let it come in contact with their skin!
Time with the babies and the kids is always the best part of clinic!
My great hope is that some of the kids that have been saved because of our clinic will become great, God-fearing leaders in Haiti — and will be able to make real change for the better!
Just like in the U.S., prices in Haiti have also gone up significantly (and add in the adverse effects of the gang issues). It drives the cost of operating in Haiti even higher.
There was so much stuff that needed to be fixed when I returned. Between the heat and the water, they wreck everything. Plumbing issues. Vehicle issues. Even termites got into boxes and ate stored documents! I even returned to a soleless pair of shoes — the soles fell off of because of dry rot!
With the border between Haiti and the Dominican being closed for months, it has increased the price of medical supplies and have made them more difficult to come by (since the Dominican is a major supplier of medical supplies to Haiti). For example, I needed to restock IV fluids, and I used to pay about $300 a liter. But now many are $1,000 HTG.
Thanks to your continued generosity, Aria got her CT scan and was admitted to the only Hydrocephalus program in Haiti!!
The cost of the scan was $42,000.00 HTG. That’s almost half a year’s wages for many Haitians. It’s completely out of reach for her parents. It would have meant they’d just watching Aria get worse, until Hydrocephaly would have taken her life. Thankfully, Kelby’s Kids was able to be a source of hope for Aria and her mom and dad!
After being gone so long… catching up on bills, repairs, payroll, medical supplies, increased security measures, medical care, stocking up on fuel for the next gang-controlled fuel shortage, and so on, the cost of this time in Haiti was just over $200 USD per day. I am thankful for your sacrificial giving that makes all of this possible, to bring help and hope to so many in Haiti since 2016!
Despite the horrific things that continue to happen in many parts of Haiti, my little corner of Port-au-Prince has remained calm. I hope you’ll pray with me that the calm will continue, and that I’ll be able to have a full year of ministry in Haiti when the clinic reopens on January 2nd 2024!
Until No Child Dies,
Kelby