Homeopaths Without Borders Is Helping in Haiti

Update, July 24, 2010

Homeopaths Without Borders-NA Returning to Haiti: Mission Four

Homeopaths Without Borders-NA sent another team to Haiti the week of July 17-25. Six months after the earthquake, the situation in Haiti is no longer considered an emergency; however, this poor nation has hundreds of thousands of people living in tent cities and in tents and makeshift plastic housing along the streets. Malaria is already visible.

With the shifting away from emergency status, personnel at the Hopital Francais, a private facility, informed HWB-NA there was no longer a need for their services where they had treated thousands of patients on previous missions. The goals of this current team were to explore a venue where treatment of patients was still considered a need and to establish a relationship with an institution where homeopathy could be taught to health care personnel.

The efforts of the team, consisting of Kim Sikorski, M.D., team leader; Lauri Grossman, D.C.; Lisette Narragon, CHC and Myrna Merron, EdD, resulted in the attainment of those objectives. The team treated children and adults with serious maladies at St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children. Additionally, they met with a distinguished surgeon at Hopital Canape Vert who was sympathetic to the desire of HWB to promote health care independence through homeopathy. That meeting led to a conversation with the head nurse at a university in Port Au Prince; the group is also exploring teaching nurses at a facility in Leogane, 30 miles from Port Au Prince.

The ultimate goal of HWB-NA is to continue treating at St. Vincent's while conducting teaching programs at medical institutions. The plan includes establishing a number of teams that will work in Haiti on a rotating basis. At this time, Haiti is a nation dependent on charity from the outside. HWB hopes to champion self-sufficiency.

Update, May 25, 2010

Homeopaths Without Borders-NA Returning to Haiti: Mission Three

Plans are underway for a third mission to Haiti in July. Volunteers are gearing up to return to Port-au-Prince on July 18 for a week of treating clients. Additionally, Kim Sikorski, MD, a member of the HWB board will present an introduction to homeopathy to health care personnel in response to interest shown during the last mission. A portion of the time in Port-au-Prince will be spent treating children at a nearby orphanage and training staff members in the use of remedies for some common ailments. An affiliation with the orphanage is expected to be ongoing.
 
With the island country now contending with the rainy season, homelessness and poverty will exacerbate the effects of tropical diseases. HWB continues to be appreciative of contributions to help it carry out its two-fold mission in Haiti: to treat and to teach.
 
HWB relies on the generosity of the homeopathic community to cover expenses to carry out its missions.   HWB is a humanitarian, 501 C-3 corporation and all donations are tax deductible.  For more information about HWB, to volunteer, and to make a donation visit: www.homeopathswithoutborders-na.org.

Update, April 23, 2010.

Volunteers for Homeopaths Without Borders-North America (HWB) conducted their second successful emergency response clinic in Port Au Prince March 23-30.

 Working out of tents on the grounds of the Hopital Francais d'Haiti, Sushila Lalsingh, executive director of HWB, Lauri Grossman, Helen Hardinge-Field, Robin Murphy and Andrew Lustig, all experienced homeopathic practitioners,  treated approximately  500 patients each day.  They were warmly greeted by the Haitian people on their return and received positive feedback from patients who were aided during the first mission in February.

Noted was the shift in problems from acute to chronic.  Basic health care was foremost with an emphasis on nutritional issues.  Additionally, the group was confronted with skin and eye problems, hypertension, women's maladies, fever and colds.  As Haiti enters the rainy season, HWB personnel are preparing for the onset of tropical diseases when they again visit Haiti in midsummer.

Keeping in the forefront the dual goals of HWB to provide treatment and education to populations in need, the group laid the groundwork for the training of medical personnel in Port Au Prince.  In response to enthusiasm and cooperation demonstrated by health care professionals at the Hopital Francais,  Sushila and Robin met with individual doctors to introduce them to homeopathy.  Plans are underway for a large-scale teaching seminar during the next mission, which is scheduled for summer 2010.

As a result of the success of the clinic, HWB is also responding to a request from Mother Mary of Mercy orphanage in Port Au Prince to minister to the children residing there.  This undertaking will begin in the summer and run concurrently with the clinic; as a component of the program, caretakers will receive instruction in the basics of homeopathy.

The ultimate goal of HWB-NA is to establish a permanent clinic in Port Au Prince with Haitian health care professionals actively participating under the supervision of HWB volunteers. 

To continue its efforts in Haiti and to achieve this objective, the organization needs the continued generous support of the homeopathic community at large.  Tax deductible donations may be made via the website: homeopathswithoutborders-na.org or by mail: Homeopaths Without Borders-NA, PO Box  5301, Titusville, FL 32783.  Homeopaths Without Borders is a humanitarian 501 C3 corporation. 

Feb. 6, 2010.

The first group of dedicated volunteers from Homeopaths Without Borders-NA has arrived in Haiti and has already treated over 1000 clinic patients. Curtailment of flights by the U.S. military forced a change in plans. The group, along with 800 pounds of equipment, remedies and medical supplies flew to Santo Domingo and traveled 10 hours overland to Haiti.  Communication is difficult but we will try to inform the homeopathic community as we hear from team leader Sushila Lalsingh, executive director of HWB-NA.

To contribute to their efforts, please go to http://www.homeopathswithoutborders-na.org.

Sushila, Laurie, Helen, T.Namaya, and Mike in Haiti

Hopital Francais d'Haiti

Our clinic at Hopital Francais d'Haiti

Haitians outside gate of clinic

Outside of clinic

Praying amidst the ruins

Destroyed building next to our clinic

Sushila, Lauri, Philippe, Nancy and Helen

The children say goodbye to Mike