Another rewarding day

87 Haitian people have better lives today.

Our group approaches the office of the day

We drove as far as we could into the mountainous area of Petit-Goave, then hiked up another mile or so until we came to a small grass hut with a tin roof atop a hill where small shanties and makeshift tents line what, many years ago, was a hill littered with French soldiers and cannons to protect the bay. Many people were waiting patiently for us inside that hut because they had heard that there was to be a clinic there that day.

We walked into the tent and dropped our bags which were full of medications, gloves, gauze and the like then started by rearranging the homemade benches and chairs so as to assemble a makeshift pharmacy, as well as an exam room. The ‘exam room’ consisted of 4 benches (back to back to form 2 tables,) 2 chairs and a sheet. With the teamwork of 2 doctors, myself and the Petit-Goave clinic employees, we were able to get a decent stream of people coming through to receive medical attention, get diagnosed and prescribed.

Assisting an elderly lady who had fainted from one of her daily malaria fevers.

After 7 hours of tedious work the hut was cleared of people and we decided to pack up what was left, then with the last of our energy, hike around the beautiful land of Haiti and explore the old fort that is now simply a foundation, in some places the fourth wall of Haitian homes. Still though, the view is incredible, the Southern Wind looked like a spec in the water from where we stood.

We hiked back down to the truck and headed back to the clinic where we unloaded our things and then made our way back to the dock during sunset to be picked up and go home for the night aboard the Southern Wind.

An old French Cannon had rolled down the hill long ago and now resides next to the trail