Se met ko kiveye ko

It is the owner of the body who looks out for the body.

We finished the medical clinics a few days ago. I can safely say that I am so grateful that I am not a Haitian pharmacist. After sampling just a few of the pills, I realized all they would do is mess with my GI tract and lower my blood pressure rather than give me hallucinations.* This is most likely because the two most popular problems we saw during the clinics were stomach pains and hypertension rather than druggies looking to get a better high.

To me, treating a Haitian village’s digestive problems by prescribing a month supply of Ranitidine is like putting a dress on a baby boy. Yes, he may look like a girl for a little while and you can pretend that he’s the princess you always wanted but you’re ignoring the larger issue here. You have a son, not a daughter, and these people’s stomachs will ache longer than their Ranitidine prescription. Their GI issues will linger so long as they lack access to clean water, sanitation, and a healthy diet. There isn’t enough Ranitidine or cute dresses to change that fact.

With this in mind, we surveyed for potential water systems at half of the villages we visited. Here is a picture I took while manning the rod for a survey. The two Haitians I am working with are students at the trade school in the area. Notice the children in the background watching us work.

I really want to push these projects through but they are delicate operations. I need to make sure there is money available for them and I am not making promises that I cannot fulfill. It is critical that the community take ownership of whatever you build, whether it is a capped spring, water purification system, or a pit latrine. There is no sustainable way to filter water or build sanitation systems; there are only sustainable communities.

This week I hope to be finish up the latrine project at the local school in addition to gathering parts to upgrade the local municipal water system. It’s been a steep learning curve so far for me but I’ve learned a lot about who to talk to and what I need to do to stay on top of everything. I’ve found that in order to be efficient and successful here you need to be persistent, resilient, and, most importantly, patient.

*This is a joke. I did not try any pills.