Note From Bob: At this time the exchange rate for the Haitian Gourde is 61 HG to the U.S. dollar. As of September 30 of this year it was 105 HG = $1 US. A very special thank you to each of you for making this possible.
CCS Dispensary – Our Lady of the Good News
Rivye Mansel Parish – Kalabat
In the name of Our Lord Jesus, I greet you. I present to you the summary of the year, which began in September 2019 & ended in August 2020. We give thanks to God for the year, despite the difficulties we encountered along the way. God protected us, & covered us under his wings.
I returned to Rivyè Mansel on 16 September 2020, after my annual retreat, to continue to work in the dispensary with the 2 nurses. Thanks to the support that you gave me during the previous year, I had a balance of 17,633 HTG in the account to begin paying the nurses their stipend of 4,000 HTG per month. Then there was a deposit made into the clinic account, which amounted to 276,000 HTG. This created a new total of 293,633 HTG. I was able to pay the five employees during the entire year from these funds. Their annual salaries equal 234,000 HTG. That left a balance of 59,633 HTG from the original funds. I received another 36,000 HTG specifically for medications, which gave a grand total of 95,633 HTG. Throughout the year, thanks to this support, I was able to find more resources amounting to 10,025 HTG which enabled me to purchased medications for 105,658 HTG. God helped me find a benefactor who gave me 15,000 HTG to support the children in the malnutrition program over the course of 6 months, for a total of 90,00 HTG. I spent a total of 85,670 HTG to purchase food, which left a balance of 4,330 HTG. This same benefactor told me that there will be some more support coming in the new year, specifically for the clinic & whatever needs we may have.
We have 56 children in the malnutrition program, in 2 different groups. A big thank you to all who helped me purchase food for these children. Each day we work from 8am until 4pm,. The clinic is closed on the weekends, except in cases of emergency. We welcomed 1,650 sick people to the clinic for treatment throughout the year. These cases included adults, young people, & infants. We also make house visits for older sick people, & we accompany pregnant women with medications that are necessary for them during their pregnancies. We provide some exams & vaccinations at the clinic, & we offer 3 doses of vaccines for infants. I salute the work of the nurses, because they put their whole heart into their work. One of the nurses recently got married, & she has moved away from the area to live with her husband. We are searching for a replacement for her. As of now, we have Mis Alourde who remains at the clinic & who is indefatigable in her work. When we have sick people on IVs, she is the one who stays with them throughout their treatment, & holds vigil with them overnight.
The community health workers have increased their numbers from 10 to 16, with the addition of 6 new interns who are working with the malnutrition program. They do the work of going out & identifying at-risk children, & sending them to the clinic for follow-up. These agents always collaborate very well with the clinic staff, & they are doing good work out in the countryside with the peasant population. We are doing all that we can to support the children & decrease their suffering due to malnutrition. There are 4 of the community health agents who now have a stipend from the state to continue this work – Obert, Rosemene, Sherline, & Marie-Lourdes. The rest of them who work with the program do so voluntarily. These include Osegran, who collaborates with us often. Jean Andre, Deny, Therane, Inelus are all in charge of the vaccine campaigns. This is a mission that demands compassion.
Fr Chris, Mr Bob, Madam Denise, Desil, Sr Pat, & Geri, with all my heart I say thank you for being a strong chain of support for the clinic, along with the benefactors who I have not yet met. Thank you for all of your patience & understanding, & delicate attention you gave to clinic matters during the past year. Especially this past year when we lived the tragedies of hurricanes, earthquakes, & the coronavirus which is impacting the whole world. Thank you for all of the support for nutrition & medications especially.
I ask God together with Mary our Mother to protect you & five you strength in the faith of Jesus. A thousand thanks.
Sr Jeany Marie Mervailleuse
Little Sisters of St Therese of the Infant Jesus