Category: Blog

Building for the future

AFH continues to provide for the present medical need in Petit Goave, Haiti, but also has started to build for the future. Yesterday in the hospital in Petit Goave, AFH doctors worked throughout the day to deliver many more children, often many at the same time. Yesterday while a new mother was finishing with one delivery (twins!) another mother came in ready to deliver. After trying for a time it became clear that a c section was needed to save the life of the baby. Although the procedure went very well, within seconds of birth it was clear the the child was not doing well. The child was not breathing on its own and without the proper equipment and treatment the child would die. Scrambling around the team found a laryngoscope blade to intubate the infant that was just the right size. Last friday a team member boarded a plane to check on the progress of the clinic. In his luggage was this improbable piece of equipment. Due to the donation of 20 dollars last week that bought this small tool, this child who was near death was released within a few days happy and healthy.
Connecting with other missionaries in the area, we have been able to make plans for the future. Just a few miles outside of the city lies a unused clinic/school compound in the town of Lakul. Plans continue to be made to staff and supply this clinic and use it as a base of operations for AFH to work out of for the future. Running this clinic/compound and caring for a new area is only part of the blessing. Not only have we begun to locate a possible home base for AFH but we have met some wonderful people to work with, hopefully, for years to come. A construction team sent from Belvedere, TN this week was able to purchase and build much of a new wall and install a new well on the compound for the students there now and the future patients. We praise God for this blessing. If you can help us with this please do not hesitate to contact us at contact@aidforhaiti.org. God bless you and your family today, thank you for your continued support.

Small Miracles and Large Blessings

We have a critical need for prayer today. Many rapid, wonderful and unexpected opportunities have come up. We have been given the opportunity to partner with other missionary organizations in the area and provide a home to AFH and a clinic/hospital that could impact the people of Haiti for many years to come. Please pray that we would be given discernment to make the correct decisions on exactly how God would have us to move forward. Also pray that God would further provide all staff and resources we are in need of to best minister to these wonderful people
God continues to pour out his blessings on this ministry and affect the people of Haiti directly through your partnership. Today we heard a story of a eleven year old girl that was dying quietly at home. Before the earthquake she was being treated at the local hospital for a condition that was causing heart failure. When the earthquake occurred she was sent home with instructions to “just go home and die”. Today one of our close friends alerted us to the young girls condition. After advocating on her behalf to multiple organizations throughout the day, we found her treatment. Not just another hospital, but she will soon be cared for at Duke University hospital by the best physicians and medicine available. The ability to be taken care of by the worlds best doctors is something we take for granted each day. But for eleven year old girls in the hills of Haiti, its nothing short of a miracle. Thank you for giving us this ability to impact these people in this way.
Also, we need help in our transportation situation. The truck that we are currently using has broken down and has not been able to be repaired. We greatly need another vehicle to use immediately to continue ministry to these people. If you can help us with this please do not hesitate to contact us at contact@aidforhaiti.org. God bless you and your family today, thank you for your continued support.

Continuing Ministry


Update: Tasked with the majority of medical care to the city of Petit Goave, the medical team members involved with the AFH clinic have learned quickly how to operate outside of their expertise. In the last week our teams have seen an average of 300 patients per day and delivered 5-10 babies per day. Recently a team member commented that in one day he helped treat a septic two month old with a temperature of 105, a six year old with meningitis that came in seizing, a finger amputation, an ectopic pregnancy requiring emergency surgery, an acute appendicitis not to mention the five other deliveries that came in throughout the night. “I would have never had the opportunity to have this type of impact anywhere else” one said. One night after finishing up seeing 300 patients, an individual that had been hit in the face with a rock came in with a major fracture. “We were able to stabilize him and send him to the airport for more care, something 3 months ago would have never been possible in Petit Goave” said a EMT on base.
God’s blessing continue to be poured out on the work of AFH. Recently an individual walked onto the base with an offer of 5 truckloads of rice and beans. This blessing will soon be alleviating the hunger of many haitian people in the region. Finally, yesterday, the Red Cross moved into city to alleviate some of the medical work we have been providing to the city. Soon they should be operating in the remnants of the hospital in town. This will free us up to shift to providing care more to the rural regions around this area that have still not been touched by the aid pouring into Haiti. We could not do this without your help, thank you for partnering with us in Haiti.
Please pray that we would have discernment to work in a way that would best show the love of Christ to the people of Haiti. In all things this is our main goal. Once again, please consider partnering with us in Haiti and donating below.

Pitocin and Coffee

Update: As the work of the second AFH medical team comes to a close in Haiti and the third team begins work, it has continued as furious as ever. Last night, after delivering seven children throughout the day, our team had just fallen asleep when they heard a banging on the front gate. When they went to see what the problem was, a woman in active labor came screaming into the hospital at midnight in search of help. According to her family, she had been in labor for many hours and unable to progress any further. As they told us plainly “the baby is stuck.” She had come to the only medical care she knew of in the city. After examining the mother, the team was left with only one choice, an emergency C section. As they went to the stock room to find a critical medication needed for the procedure, it was discovered to have run out during the long day of deliveries. Calling home at 1 AM, a team member frantically begged for any help we could find. With a couple of quick ideas the team located some recently purchased medication that fit the need exactly. The only trouble was that it was 1 am in rural Haiti and the medicine was over an hour away. So, at 1 AM after a long day of clinic and deliveries, the team set out on a mission to drive into the darkness to the home of Pastor Bruce who had located the medicine. Getting back in time the team was able to preform the procedure and, praise God, the mother gave birth to new healthy twins!
Recently one of our partners, Oak Cliff Coffee, out of
Dallas Texas surprised us with a new gift, the “Aid for Haiti blend” Coffee. Inspired by the work that AFH has been doing in Haiti they wanted to help in any way possible. Until Febuary 24th, one half of all proceeds (8 dollars per pound) will go directly to benefit the ministry of Aid for Haiti in Petit Goave, Haiti. Please consider purchasing some great coffee and helping Haiti and the same time. Click here to buy, for more information Click here.

Our needs continue to grow greatly. Currently we are embarking on a new building project aimed at rebuilding the damaged wall of this hospital compound. This undertaking will cost a total of 3,000 dollars. In addition, since the destruction from the earthquake, one of the most difficult parts of ministry in Haiti has been transportation. Please pray that we would be able to buy, rent, or borrow a new truck in Haiti soon. If you know of anyone that would like to help with these costs please contact us as we are currently have a critical need. Thank you.

Check out our partner, Oak Hill Coffee, and get some great coffee and help support Aid for Haiti at the same time!

In the aftermath of the earthquake, we’ve all seen photos of the destruction and chaos that is present day Haiti. Often it seems that reactionary relief groups are not well organized and donating money blindly to them doesn’t seem the best option to truly be of help. This has been confounded by the much-publicized corruption of Haitian officials.


After the quake, this team of doctors, nurses, and other volunteers deployed for Haiti. The group sought out an area that they felt had the greatest need. While most of the aid has been centered on the capital city of Port Au Prince, other towns have been neglected. They have set up a makeshift hospital in the town of Petit Goave (about 150,000 in population) which was decimated and had received virtually no aid.

Personally, I have been impacted by hearing about this group and from learning about their efforts through their blog. I have decided that along with giving to them personally, I’d like to use our coffee to help this organization continue to provide relief to the people of Haiti, and at the same time offer a unique blend for our customers.

From now until February 24th, Oak Cliff Coffee will be offering an ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend, with 50% of the proceeds from sales going directly to ‘Aid for Haiti’. We will roast the blend every Thursday (Feb 11th, 18th 25th) and deliver next day for the next 3 weeks. In addition to this, we are offering free delivery anywhere within Dallas City Limits for all orders that include but not limited to the ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend. If you are close to Dallas but outside of the city limits, please email us for possible delivery arrangements. February 24th will be the last day to order.

This blend of Central American coffees is a sugary sweet cup with bright citrus notes. It’s recommended as a drip or French press.

If you’re interested in purchasing the ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend, please visit our website or click the link below.

Buy One Pound of ‘Aid for Haiti Blend’ – $16

I specifically chose to support ‘Aid for Haiti’ because of the organization’s commitment to Haiti prior to the earthquake, because of the goals of their mission, and because 100% of the donations they receive go directly to helping the Haitians in need (and not overhead costs).

excerpt from Time Magazine:

The earth shrugged, Haiti collapsed, and the world responded. “Compassion fatigue” was exposed as the straw man of cynics and ad salesmen. Epic catastrophe was met with epic generosity, without benefit of untapped oil reserves or geopolitical gain. The U.N. is here in force, but the real united nations are the small NGOs from every corner of the planet that just showed up, flying by the seat of their pants. String their acronyms side by side, and they’d go halfway around the equator. Recite them, and you’d be speaking in tongues.

The Haitians are not just sitting back with their hands out. They’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting — so humble in its nature, it seems invisible. Massive international relief supplies are transported by cargo ships, helicopters and C-130s. Haitians carry what they need on their heads. They dig survivors out of the wreckage by hand, not with big yellow machines. Everyone is doing what he or she can by whatever means available.


Update: Full handover to the new AFH medical team has gone smoothly.
The medical challenges came full force as soon as they hit the ground. Within the first two hours “we had Chloroquine toxicity and an eyelid laceration I closed in the dark by flashlights and flies. The city is heavily damaged. People kept stopping us to ask if we were there to help them. This is going to be an interesting week” said one doctor. Becoming entrenched as the major source of medical care for the large city continues to pose new challenges to the new team of five doctors and nurses. “Traumas are rolling in around the clock, mostly motorcycle accidents and I think that we have delivered multiple babies each day” said one doctor. “All at once I had what would have been four level one trauma patients involved in a accident where a motorcycle ran into a person. Five minutes later I had
two burn victims with much of their body burned, five minutes later I had a nine month pregnant pt with severe high blood pressure. I never thought I would coordinate a mass casualty event in haiti” said another. One eight year old child with second degree burns and infections proved especially difficult. Unable to find any other care for the child, the team was forced to create a makeshift intensive care unit in the newly built clinic space. Groups of nurses and doctors were assembled and worked in shifts throughout the night keeping the child alive until help could be found in the morning.
Thank you for the prayers. The entire first team arrive back in the United States safely and little worse for wear. Please pray that plans will continue to provide medical care for the people of this region for the next few critical months. God is opening many doors and we pray He gives us the courage and strength to walk through them. Aid for Haiti is growing by leaps and bounds each day, please pray that this continues and we work diligently to
be the organization that God desires.

If you know of any doctors and nurses that are interested in going to Haiti as part of a relief team please contact us. In addition, if you know of any medical supplies, we have great need. Lastly, as always this could never have been done without your faithful support. Thank you

Please forward this to anyone else who would be interested. Sign up for email updates at www.aidforhaiti.org

The Forgotten of Petit Goave


2/5/10 UPDATE: Medical ministry continues in Petit Goave, Haiti. As the first team has been relieved, and is leaving the country expert work has continued by professionals from Washington University in St. Louis. Today the new team of doctors began
working at our newly constructed clinic. One of the first patients seen was a newborn who had a unique problem. Soon after the earthquake, the little girl was born in the streets of of the city. Without proper training the family that had helped delivery the child the had her umbilical cord cut much too short. A fistula has developed, allowing her intestines to be freely exposed to the outside environment. Treating her with many antibiotics that were recently purchased with donations from our supporters we were able to treat the infection, but the condition remains. As you read this, a newborn child is being emergently taken to Port au Price to locate a surgeon to care for this problem. Please pray for the life of this little one.

As the Marines completed work our our new clinic building they gave us an additional gift. They agreed to donate supplies and lumbar enough to double our medical capacity on the grounds of the base. This doubles our size and greatly increases the number of patients our clinic can help. Construction will continue over the next few weeks by our teams at the mission.
Unfortunately, almost one month after the earthquake, AFH continues to be the only source of medical care for the 150,000 residents.
Recently many international aid organizations have stopped into our hospital and praised the work being done but were uncertain when help would arrive. We are committed to the long term with the people here. Without another hospital to rely on, we can not abandon the Haitians who live here. AFH continues its commitment to express the love of christ to these forgotten people of Petit Goave.

Please pray for the safety of our teams as they travel in and out of the country. Also pray that our resources to help these people increase. Our commitment to the city is currently more then we ever thought possible, but with God we have come to truly understand anything can be possible. Please consider further support of this ministry. Thank you for your friendship.

Into the Future


2/4/10 UPDATE: Ministry continues to the Haitian people of Petit Goave. As the Marines circled around the edge of the compound this morning, a large water container came crashing off of its supports and barreled toward a group of onlookers. Most scattered, but a solitary young man was struck directly in his chest. The man was quickly unable to breath and turned blue. Using supplies donated from supporters like yourself, Dr. Caleb and team diagnosed the problem as a tension pneumothorax, a punctured and collapsed lung. A large chest tube had to be placed which returned a large gush of air signifying that the life threatening condition was relieved. Now able to breath, the patient was air lifted to a larger hospital at the main airport in the capitol. Stories like this continue to happen each day as we serve as the main source of medical care for the city.
New “recruits” showed up to work today. The marine medics of the area had heard for days what work was being done on the base and decided to lend a hand. The were able to experience a full day of debriding wounds, suturing, and triaging patients to appropriate care. Stating that they had more fun working directly with the Haitian people here then anywhere else, one marine plainly stated “I just wish we could move in with you guys.”
Petit Goave and the surrounding area need care for much longer than just a few days. With no large scale medical operation planned by major aid organizations, plans have set in motion to ensure the people are not among the “forgotten” masses of those effected by this earthquake. As you read this, a team of three additional Emergency Medicine physicians along with multiple nurses have arrived to staff the newly built clinic and to relieve the beleaguered team that has provided the majority of care for this city during these critical weeks. Aid for Haiti plans to continue rotating teams of American doctors in and out of this city in 10-14 day periods to ensure that Petit Goave and its 150,000 residents continue to receive medical care for the months ahead. To do this we need your help. If you know of anywhere we can access medical equipment, such as cardiac monitors, EKG machines and ultrasounds please reply to this message and inform us. In addition, if there are any physicians that would like to come and help with this rebuilding process please contact us.
God has given us the favor of the people here. Seeing the amount of work that has been done and hearing the plans for continued help from Aid for Haiti has resulted in much appreciation from the people of Petit Goave. We could not have done this without your support. Please continue supporting us in our ongoing work and telling others about this ministry.