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Africa's our neighbour. When it burns, we smell the smoke. It stings our eyes, it sears our conscience, but maybe not as much as it should...Bono
September 2010
September 2010 Haiti, part of the island of Hispaniola, visited by Christopher Columbus in 1492, has had a very turbulent history. First Spanish, then French, it became independent in 1802. Years of poverty, enviromental degradation and violence have left it one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. On Tuesday January 12th just before 5 pm an earthquake with a magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Port au Prince the capital. It is thought 230,000 were killed. The severely damaged infra structure of the country has left it with a vast number of homeless.
Every spare space in Port au Prince is filled with tents. The gross overcrowding and poor sanitation has led to the recent cholera disaster. An American medical team had been running a remarkable clinic in the centre of the most deprived part of the capital - Cite Soleil. Cite Soleil, or City of the Sun, is a vast area of very basic housing. Until United Nations took control a few years ago, it was far too dangerous for strangers to visit.
The Haiti Clinic is in the centre of Cite Soleil. It was to this, rather difficult post earthquake area, that Iasis was invited by Haiti Clinic to help at a primary care programme in September. Due to the severe shortage of doctors (many Haitian doctors were killed by the earthquake) the pressure for medical care was enormous. There were many children, elderly people, infections, malaria, tb, earthquake injuries and sexual diseases. The teamwork with our American colleagues was excellent.
There is little doubt that the Haiti project is one of the most rewarding tasks that Iasis has undertaken, but the demand is very great. We hope to return in January armed with supplied, drugs and equipment. We will continue to keep you updated with the work done in this desperate yet beautiful country!
Iasis have made two visits to Haiti since the earthquake in January 2010. A third visit is planned in the new year. We are working alongside Haitian and American doctors and nurses, bringing much needed medical assistance to the now cholera struck Cite Soleil-the largest slum in Port au Prince. We need help to raise the funds necessary for urgent medical supplies.