I don’t know who he is.

I don’t know what he stands for..

I don’t know how much he is suffering…

I don’t know if he is paid or stands for what he truly believes….

I don’t know if he has kids or what they may be going through or if they have died…..

I do know I am a guest in this country and it’s not my place to question or be a part of the political climate here in Haiti. But I know, without a doubt, that it has an effect on me, my patients and my work load.

After 7 weeks of continued protest Kelby’s Kids is still trying to meet the needs of the Kids and people of Haiti. But that is getting harder and harder to do.

(If you’re unsure of the current situation in Haiti, google “Haiti today” and click on images. Any one of those images could be and many are taken a mile or two from my house and clinic.)

A recent question on one of the missionary Facebook pages asked the question “Who is left”? It is very hard to know for sure but the opinions for the most part ran from 50-80% of missionaries have left Haiti.

Just when you think it can’t continue to get worse it does. Please pray for safety, wisdom, and the ability to stay and continue working in Haiti.

This little girl was at the clinic the other day. I gave her a pair of sunglasses so she could feel cute! Wisselene is in the malnutrition program and her momma is in the maternity program. It made me sad when I realized that they didn’t help her feel cute but instead helped to cover her sadness. Her mom told me that her husband went out to a protest and it’s now been over a week since she has seen him. Please pray for Wisselene and her family as she has probably lost her daddy.

Hundreds of thousands are protesting Haiti’s government and economic condition all over the country.

This picture is just over a mile from my house. People can’t find food, water, fuel, and basic supplies. And when they do then can no longer afford them as prices sore due to the economy and simple supply and demand. There is no transportation, schools and business are closed, and things get worse each day. Nobody is working and so they have no money. Needless to say from this photo, there are a lot of unhappy and desperate people in Haiti and the numbers continue to grow.

The other day at medical clinic a mom brought in her baby because he had a cold. She wasn’t particularly worried about his weight. She said he was little because he was premature. She said she feeds him some milk and baby food once a day. Woodley was about 45 days old and was only 3 pounds because he had his diaper on.

I knew that his chances of survival were pretty slim if he didn’t get some help. Despite the fact that every remaining functioning hospital, inpatient malnutrition center, and baby center is over capacity I was able to get him placement. Now to get him there… Despite the conditions Amos (Karen’s driver) said he would take them but would take a moto (motorcycle taxi).

Motos often are allowed through road blocks when your vehicle would be damaged or burned. When he got back he said that it was very scary on the roads going through the protests and road blocks. But he got them there because he knew how important it was to little Woodley.

“Thank you to Amos and the Kelby’s Kids supporters for giving me a chance at life today!!”

The sad thing is that this story is played out every day in Haiti and most of these kids are just dying because what’s left of the medical system doesn’t have the ability to help them. Or they can’t even get to help with all the road blocks. I am thankful that through your partnership we were able to be a small part of Woodley’s life!!

Sometimes we don’t thing about all the things that not being able to go to the market can do. Hygiene is part of that. Not being able to be clean, not having money to buy clean water for a bath or soap to bathe with. The number of infections and skin issues we see is going up at clinic because of the current conditions.

Having a bad day but still catching a nap!!

One of the issues that has become almost standard is that fact that most of the people who are having skin issues have had to resort to using powdered laundry detergent for bathing. If you read the hazard statements and warnings on these products you know that this is going to cause some problems for sure.

At malnutrition clinic the other day a lady came in that needed two people to help her to the bench. We often get people who come to the wrong clinics for care. As I was trying to get the story, the 2 ladies that helped her in returned with a cute little baby. She said that the baby was about 2 months old and she just could not feed the baby any more. She didn’t appear to be able to even care for herself she was so sick, much less this child. I admitted Esterline to the formula program.

Esterline’s admission photo to the malnutrition clinic.

The ladies with her said they would care for Esterline. I told mom that she needed to get to the hospital. She said that she could do that now that her baby was being cared for. I told her that I was concerned that she has Tuberculosis and that the baby may have caught it. The next week the ladies showed up with Esterline and told me that her mom had died of TB. Please pray for Esterline that despite looking like a healthy little girl, right now, that TB is not taking over her body. They are supposed to be trying to get a TB test for her this week.

Thank-You as always for your support of Kelby’s Kids! I ask specifically for your prayers during this time. The continue desperation in the clinic, the uneasiness in the streets, the gun shots just down the road, the days of being stuck at home, and the road blocks even in our neighborhood. It takes a toll over time. I am not sure I can do 6 more weeks of this before I come back for Christmas break.

Until No Child Dies

Kelby