Greetings from Haiti! A quick update from last night: We had Besty Sherwood, an international social worker, come to speak to the students after dinner. Betsy, originally from Vestal, NY, shared her vast experience advocating for the disabled population in Haiti and around the world. The students really enjoyed her presentation.
This morning, we woke up to a another beautiful day in Haiti. Some of the students spent the night on the roof and enjoyed the sunrise from there. We had Jude’s famous oatmeal for breakfast and then went to Mother Teresa’s Children’s Hospital. We started by meeting with over 400 lively school children. The Health for Haiti students provided instructions on how to properly brush teeth, and then went out into the crowd to let the kids practice with the puppets. After that we left the school and went to the hospital to provide care and comfort to the sick babies. We also brought some donated supplies like pedialyte and formula. We spent about an hour and a half holding babies and playing with the toddlers. They were all so sweet, it was hard to leave them when it was time to go.
We made a quick stop back at the Guesthouse and then we went to the Museum of the Haitian National Pantheon (MUPANAH). Our guide, Ronald, took us through the museum and provided many interesting facts about the complicated History of Haiti. MUPANAH is a beautiful museum with many interesting artifacts and some absolutely stunning Haitian art. The museum is divided into several sections and details The Indian Period, The Spanish Period, The Slavery Period, The Revolutionary Period, The Post-Revolutionary Period, The Second Empire, and The Contemporary Period. After our tour of the museum, we went back to the Guesthouse to rest and prepare for our day tomorrow. Students took some time to enjoy the sunshine on the roof and write in their journals. We also had the opportunity to do some shopping for souvenirs.
Today we said goodbye to Darlene, Greg and Tom. We are so grateful for all of their help and support on our trip and hope they have a safe journey home. Tomorrow is another busy day. We will be providing health care, dental care, education, lunch, and fun for another 100 orphanage children.
We were not allowed to take pictures at Mother Teresa’s Hospital or at MUPANAH, so unfortunately I cannot show you any images from those places….but here are a few pictures from last night and the rest of our day today.
Bon nwit from Haiti!
SUNY Broome Health for Haiti 