Haiti

Read this update on the work going on in Haiti that Sun Essences has been supporting.

Dear friends,

True to our promise to the Haitian people who are still suffering from extreme poverty, starvation, and lack of most sanitary basics such as clean food, water, and housing, we will be returning in September to run another naturopathic clinic. Contrary to most people’s ideas, most Haitians have not been able to rebuild their homes and still live in the most cramped and degrading conditions in make-shift tent camps, and most of the international aid money has vanished in to corruption or has therefore been frozen. The country is very far indeed from having returned to normal. (If you have not yet heard about our project, you may view our website at haiti.citronica.com.)

In mid-September, we will return to the still destroyed larger Port-au-Prince area with our mobile clinic to bring free naturopathic medical care to the impoverished masses in the slums, tent camps, and orphanages. We are hoping to raise enough money to include Leogane again, a small town along the coast from the capital that was hit worst by the 2010 earthquake. Leogane has more amputees than any other part of Haiti, and maybe any other place in the world. The clinic could possibly reach as many as 3000 people if we can once again raise enough funds to make it happen. Since we make a point of returning to the various locations, this is not just a one-time care, but we have many return patients and follow up on cases, such as the case of a two-months old infant dying from yellow fever that was brought in during our last mission. The baby returned to the clinic for follow-up treatments two more times and recovered completely.

What have we done in Haiti in the meantime?

Since our last clinic, we have continued to raise money for the work of Oliama and Nelia, local herbalists, bonesetters and midwives providing free health care to the residents of Petionville slums where they live. We have also received and sent a large donation of nutritional supplements as well as other items. Thankfully, Sally Tramplin from Homeopaths without Borders contacted us, and we were able to arrange for them to visit some of the places we had frequented with our clinic, again offering free homeopathic care. This included amongst other places the tent camp in Carrefour and Leogane. HWB is thinking to return to those places. Thank you, Sally!

A grass roots effort

The clinic is entirely a grass roots effort, fueled by simple people like you and me making a small contribution, or asking a store or company they know for a donation in kind. And all of those contributions add up to a big wave that can move mountains. For this mission, we already have a large amount of offers for donations of medicines, such as herbs, homeopathics, and flower essences. Kindly, the same companies that donated last time have offered more support. However the clinic requires cash for running costs, such as to pay for the locals who are mostly out of work since the earthquake, and to rent a car to move around. Part of the grass roots effort is to employ local healers and teach people which local weeds to eat to combat anemia and malnutrition, and remind them of the herbal wisdom they once used to enjoy – such as eucalyptus leaf infusions for colds.

People ask me why I am going back again. The answer is: because I cannot forget the eyes of those starving children with diarrhea, worms, and vomiting who come to the clinic without their parents carrying their ailing baby sibling in their arms. Who else can they turn to for help?

How you can help

We are looking for donations of cash, frequent flyer miles, dried herb of Wormwood and Sweet Annie [artemisia annua] (having to de-worm entire slums at a time), specific essential oils and homeopathics (contact us if you think you can help).

You can make a donation directly to the people on the list below

Thank you for all of your help!

Love from Jinpa, Sandra and Julia

PS. Many of you have asked about Jinpa’s father. Here he is with two of his sons, Jinpa and Bernard! He has recovered well from his shock and injuries from the earthquake due the care we were able to provide him with when we were in Haiti. He has become somewhat of an assistant doctor – we left some herbal fever and malaria remedies with him, that he has been dispensing to sick people who wander into his yard, asking when the clinic is coming back. Last fall, we were able to arrange for his cracked house to be repaired, so he has spent the winter under his roof again. He is well in general, but gets bogged down (as all Haitians) by the food shortages and misery abounding all around him. We admire him for being such a trooper.