Day 1 saw a return to Batey Pinita for our first med clinic. This is the same batey we went to on day 1 in 2011. The clinic went very well. Some of the first year travelers dove right in and got to work: Grace, Winnie, Suzanne D. (Hannah's mom), Katie. Batey Pinita is very, very poor. It is often a place where new transplants from Haiti are taken. There is something very raw about this place.
The clinic went very well; we treated 117 patients. We did take an 11-day-old baby back to the hospital with us to be rehydrated and give some lactation consulting to the 18-year-old mom. After the clinic was finished, we had the absolute joy of doing door to door and delivering food kits to the residents. What an incredible and wonderful experience. It made all of our work fundraising feel totally worth it!
The construction team had their first day out on Batey 50. Anchored by John Bracker and alumni parent Richard Benfield, the men on the team (Jimmy P, Greg V, David Benfield, Jake D) worked like dogs and poured a cement floor in a three room house that is big enough for nine people. Jake D hauled 19 loads of cement over the day! Photos of the construction team to come!
Hola, Fuerza Azul.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the pictures and reading the blog reminds me of the important work the team performs. Batey Pinita is an eye opening experience for day 1 and certainly showcases the challenges involved in batey life.
Although I'm sitting in CT, my heart is with you guys this week