I had the privilege, for the second year in a row, to participate in the Konbit Pou Potapiman (KPP) Health Fair in Port-a-Piment, Haiti. Although I am an Anesthesiologist and a Pediatric Anesthesiologist by sub-specialty training; I took on the role of a general practitioner for two days. Since Creole is not my native language, I had a wonderful translator to assist me. I saw and examined many different types of patients, but the one thing that they had in common is that they were thankful for free medical care and medications.
I saw many patients who had a history of Anemia and suffered from complications of general malnutrition. Time and time again, many women came in with infections consistent with bathing in local rivers or with untreated water. Older patients have been dealing with chronic pain and fatigue. Some patients had more serious ailments. I had one elderly patient who came in with an enlarged abdomen, generalized swelling and abdominal pain. These are the hallmarks of suspected liver disease. Liver disease is one of the more complicated diseases for which we refer people to hospitals in Port Salut or Les Cayes for further treatment.
I, as well as the other volunteer physicians, mostly saw patients with chronic untreated common illnesses such as Hypertension and Diabetes. Many patients had seen physicians in the past for these problems, but no longer took their medication due to financial hardship. It was not unusual to see patients with blood pressures of 200/100! Several patients came in complaining of chronic headache and almost every time, it was due to untreated high blood pressure. In contrast to the United States, tropical diseases are prevalent in Haiti. We saw patients who suffered from Malaria, Typhoid fever, Cholera, and even the mosquito borne illness of Chikungunya.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to teach patients on being proactive about their health care. I went over the importance of drinking and bathing in clean water. I also discussed bringing old prescription bottles when seeing physicians, to help the doctors decipher a patient’s past medical history. All in all, the KPP health fair was an eye opening and rewarding experience. It was great to give back to this lovely community.
The KPP Two-week Summer Camp has just completed its fourth year!! The camp ran from July 6th to July 17th, and this year, was set to accommodate 60 children ranging from 7 to 12 years old.
As in the previous years, the participants were selected from all the schools in Port-a-Piment and were referred by their school directors on the basis of academic excellence. The kids traveled from as far as Potus and Paricot to attend the camp daily.
The daily routine included boarding the Dignite bus at 8 AM, in front of the Notre-Dame du Rosaire church, and under the supervision of the KPP personnel. The children were then transported to the National School of Figuiers, which was chosen again this year, due to its setting, facing the sea, with plenty of trees and adequate facilities, including large classrooms, running water, a kitchen and clean toilets.
On the first day, the participants each received an ID badge, a numbered camp drawstring bag and a water bottle. This year, each child was assigned to one of five individual monitors, all local school teachers and each coming from a different school.
Each morning, the children were greeted by the Camp Director, Mrs Pauledline Orcel, and the KPP President, Mr. Frantz Jean, for the daily “causerie” . They were reminded of principles of savoir vivre and how to become a good citizen. The children then filed up to wash their hands and hold a short prayer in preparation for breakfast.
The morning meal would consist of Chocolate milk, or, Oatmeal porridge, with Bread and Peanut Butter. Wednesday was Spaghetti and Herring breakfast day.
The monitors would then gather their assigned children for activities which included Arts and Crafts, Sewing, Word Games, Floral Art, Puzzles, Kite making, and learning songs from the Cahier de Chants de Marie-Therese. Physical activities included games of soccer and basketball, jumping ropes, circles (rondes) , races and more.
On most days, a guest speaker visited the children for a talk on different important topics of daily living. We are grateful to the nurses of the local hospital, Mrs. Jean and Mrs. Abraham for their talks on nutrition, and on hygiene. We also appreciated the visit of Mr. Gentil, local school teacher who held two sessions on Civism, and Mr. Lubin who yearly educates the children on preserving the environment. On the next day, a short question and answer session on the topic covered would guarantee prizes of pens, balloons, handkerchiefs and school supplies to the winners. The day before Graduation, a Raffle was held with even more coveted prizes of Teddy Bears, Flip Flops and toiletries.
Once a week, there was Outing Day to the River Labeyi, which by the children’s accounts, remains the most enjoyable part of the camp and Helene tomba dans l’eau” the favorite song.
At lunch, the children delighted in a meal of Rice or Cornmeal with Bean Sauce, Herring, Sausages or Meatballs and a Fruit Drink.
After lunch was the time for Änimation Culturelle””when the children would start preparing their contribution to Graduation day, and from where they left to board the Dignite bus back to town at 2PM.
On Friday, July 17th, the children, parents, staff and members of KPP assembled for a simple Graduation ceremony that included songs, skits, poems and dances performed by the children. There were speeches by Mrs. Orcel and Mr. Jean, and a Thank You song by the parents. The children received a Certificate of Attendance as well as parting gifts of school supplies. A reception of Sandwiches and Punch followed. When it was time for the Dignite Bus to take children and parents back to town, we were showered with Au revoirs and Thank Yous for a great time.
The children are hoping for a repeat performance next year.
Our thanks also go to Mrs Pauledline Orcel for her leadership,
To the monitors Francoise, Rafania, Odeline, Emiel, Joacine ;
to the Support staff Beanie, Lambert, Linet, Eliovil,
to the Kitchen Staff Nicole, Inelda, StRose, Simone,
to the helpers Jonathan, Kelot, Anel, Elimont and Jean.
Our gratitude also goes to the Director of the National School of Figuiers, Mr. Jacques Frasil, for the hospitality;
To JGR Copa LLC for its extraordinary contribution
to Mrs. Izmery for the gift of food
to Mrs. Verret for the gift of school supplies
to Mr. Appolon, Mrs. Boulos, Mr Desormeau and Unitransfer for the monetary contribution.
Our deepest gratitude to the directors of Food for the Poor-Haiti for their valuable contribution of foods and supplies.
A special Thank You to all the KPP members who contribute yearlong to this effort, and to those who each year travel from overseas to insure a smooth operation, Thank you to the team of Carolle Paul, Frantz and Nicole Jean.
On Sunday June 19th, 2015, Konbit Pou Potapiman celebrated Excellence in Schoolwork as well as in Excellence in Teaching, in a ceremony at the Catholic Church of Notre-Dame du Rosaire in Port-a-Piment. This celebration is a strong component of KPP’s Education Program.
Elegantly dressed students, parents, teachers and townspeople filled the church for this special occasion. The KPP coordinator, Mrs. Paul Edline Orcel delivered the keynote address, encouraging parents and family to be proactive in the children’s academic life. She stressed that education is the surest way of getting out of economic deprivation.
First came the presentation of the Eric BelfortAwards of Excellence. As in the past 3 years, these awards were presented to students who had achieved a high level of academic excellence during the school year.
The six students being honored were selected by their school administrators and came from different schools of the commune of Port-a-Piment. One by one, the honorees, accompanied by their parents received the ERIC BELFORT Excellence Award certificates as well as a scholarship that will help the parents defray the cost of the next academic year.
The recipients of the 2015 Eric Belfort Excellence Award are:
1-Jean David Vital-Ecole Notre Dame du Rosaire
2-Jean Mardy Aspil-Ecole Nationale de Figuiers
3-Oracius Modelin- EFA
4-Joseph Berry Orcel-College Stella Maris
5-Chantal Dieudka –Collège Stella Maris
6-Nataika Bisreth- : Lycée de Port-a-Piment
Konbit Pou Potapiman Inc. thanks the family member of the late Eric Belfort as well as Merrill Lynch/Bank of America for making this program a worthwhile and successful initiative. Mr. Eric Belfort was a longtime resident of Port-a-Piment Belfort who had helped family members achieve academic success.
Prix Dr. Charles Sinady
The Doctor Charles Sinady Awards were then presented to teachers who distinguished themselves during the school year as caring and deserving educators. They were also selected from six schools in the commune of Port-a-Piment
The teachers who were honored are:
1-Clarel Hyppolyte- Figuiers
2- Abner Auguste- Guillaume
3-Jocelaine Jn Baptiste-EFA
4-Odeline Mathieu-NDR
5-Joacine LouisJean- Jardin VERT
6-Odelin Musac- BAPTISTE
Konbit Pou Potapiman thanks Dr Yolene Sinady for her support and generosity toward the people of Port-a-Piment. The late Doctor Charles Sinady was a native of Port–a-Piment who cherished his roots and shared his passion for this city with friends and colleagues.
