Haiti Trip Summary

Julia Raneri (L.Ac., OR), Sue Larkin (L.Ac.,MA), Graham Marks (L. Ac., NY), Victoria  Szatkowski (ME)

March 4 - March 12, 2010

Notes from Graham Marks

I felt that our trip was very successful. We continued working at already established venues and we were able to find more to round out the experience for future teams and further serve in Haiti. There are so many possible venues in Haiti at this time and the ones that we treated in offer a good mix of secure settings and a variety of citizens, as well as responders.

The venues are:

Port-Au-Prince :

General Hospital - treatment of patients, family members, and administrative staff

Universite  Quesqueya ( Kiskeya) - treatment of medical students.

Saint Matthew 25 House/Delmas 33 - treated staff and citizens in tent encampment

Grassroots organizations central gathering spot - across the street from St. Matthew House - treated staff and volunteers.

Leogane

Hands On Disaster Response ( HODR)  - treated volunteers .

Mon P'tit Village - tent encampment. - treated displaced citizens

Notes on Venues.........

The General Hospital - We treated primarily in the tents of persons recovering from various surgeries or being treated for various problems. One day we went into an ICU tent and it did not feel right to me - patients were being brought in right after surgery - there was too much activity and it felt like we were intruding. We did not return to this tent. The staff in the administrative office loved the treatments and we also treated in a small room off of the main administrative/reception area when they had a lunch break.

Universite  Quesqueya ( Kiskeya) - an excellent venue - their clinics and classes continue amongst the rubble of their campus. The tents are sturdy and offer an excellent treatment and training venue

Saint Matthew 25 House/Delmas 33 - an excellent venue - this venue consists of a main house where Sister Mary lives, it has a medical dispensary, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms and a craft shop. There is a locked gate with a gate attendant. The soccer field in back of the house has been turned into a tent encampment with excellent tents from the Lions Club, delivered by Sean Penn. There is a central clinic and waiting area - this is where we treated. The citizens there loved the treatment, word spread throughout the camp and we eventually had to turn people away because we were out of time. They were very anxious for our return.

Grassroots prganizations central gathering spot -  There is a group operating out of this house that is creating a coalition of grassroots groups operating in Haiti. The man in charge is a community animator , an old friend of Victoria and the one who put us in touch with St. Mathew house encampment. He is a fabulous contact , knows everything that is going on, has great insight historically and culturally. He is a gem.

Hands On Disaster Response ( HODR)/Leogane - similar to Common Ground, the organization AWB was closely affiliated with in New Orleans.  In NOLA it was stripping molded houses - here they are going out everyday to clear rubble so citizens can start to rebuild. They have also been helping to rebuild what is left of local hospital. We treated these volunteers on their day off ( Sunday) and they loved the treatment. They have created a safe complex in an old warehouse. They camp in tents and have wooden bunk beds. They have a completely functioning kitchen, bathrooms, showers, and internet/ computer room. They are a great contact and treatment venue.

Mon P'tit Village - tent encampment - another great venue in Leogane. The leader at the encampment has a personal interest in acupressure/puncture and is very interested in taking the training. We treated in a central building that seated about 30 people at one time - there was an overflow space that held about 15. There was great interest in the treatment and we had multiple sessions. We also treated young adults in school. At first, this was a bit chaotic because of their energy, but they settled into the treatment.

AWB Team - from left
Sue Larkin (MA), Graham Marks (NY), Victoria Szatkowski (ME), Julia Raneri (CA/OR)

Our team worked very well together. When issues came up we discussed them and processed them as needed. It was a good configuration of people, playing off of each others strengths. Everyone was flexible given the challenging environment.

We always made sure that everyone understood that we treat everyone equally , no matter who they are , whatever class , citizen , first/second responder, whatever etc. There is no quid pro quo attached to treatment and no expectation for goods or services of any kind expected.

That's  it -

Graham Marks

Mon P'tit Village, Leogane

NOTE FROM AWB STAFF TO VOLUNTEER APPLICANTS:

Given the situation in Haiti, we have been taking great care to make sure that the situation is secure as we make plans to send more teams. This process is taking a long time, a lot of research and careful planning. We are currently organizing for future teams, but we have had so many applicants that we have not been able to get back to everyone individually yet. Please excuse us if this has inconvenienced you. We understand your need to make plans well into the future. This can, however, be difficult in a disaster situation. We are doing our best.

FUNDS ARE NEEDED TO CONTINUE THE WORK IN HAITI - THE COSTS ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF TRANSPORTATION, TRANSLATORS, SECURITY PERSONNEL AND LODGING

IN HAITI.

PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THE URGENTLY NEEDED RELIEF AND RECOVERY WORK!