Today was a tour day. We had three stops pre arranged for us. The first to Meds and Food for Kids (MFK). Then we visited the Hope, Health Action (HHA) hospital and coupons. Lastly, we visited 2nd Mike Haiti which was a recovery center for malnourished children and their families, soon to be a maternal-fetal midwifery center. Factory. MFK corporate headquarters in St Louis, Missouri as a non-profit 501c. Their main purpose is to distribute peanut butter based medicine to treat malnourished children. In Creole, Medika Mamba means medical peanut butter. They have 3 main products. 80% of distribution is RUTF for the severely malnourished, RUSF for moderate to severe, and Vita Mamba used for snacks mostly in rural schools and as maintenance nutrition. There are 550 calories in one packet, containing peanuts and crucial vitamins including Vitamin A which are carefully combined to boost the immune system. Vitamin A is the leading cause of blindness globally. Each child is assessed and if found to be anemic or malnourished, the child is given enough sachets for one week (3-4 per day and about 2,000 calories each day) and then they will return in one week to be re-assessed and if gaining weight they continue to follow until fully nourished. Mums are expected to bring back the sachets to stay in the program and given education along the way on nutrition. This program is 92% effective for the children enrolled in the program. Just 1 box is enough to save a child’s life and costs approximately $69 US Dollars to recover from malnourishment. Of note, they are working on a separate supplementation program for nursing and pregnant mothers since this is the most crucial time to sustain nutrition habits. The goal of MFK is to buy peanuts from Haitian farmers. However, the local soil contains fungus that can create growth stunting and some forms of cancer. They can only buy from farmers who test to have low levels of this micotoxin in it. MFK is working with a non-governmental organization (NGO) to teach farmers how to farm and prevent the fungus (Aspergillosis) from growing and creating Alflatoxin. When they are not able to use local farmers, they import peanuts from Argentina and sugar from Guatemala. Though the goal is always to to sustain the Haitians locally. Peanuts are carefully tested and roasted twice to ensure no salmonella. The main buyer of the sachets is UNICEF. Each box of RUTF has 150 bars and each round can produce a 7 box palette. 7-boxes are produced in one shift and one box is enough to feed one child. The products are exported to 14 countries, including to Africa and Central America. Hospital. We then visited the HHA - Hope, Health, Action a NGO (non governmental organization) based out of the UK that supports a private hospital, established in 2006 and partially funded by US Aid. They must pay before services prior to care. A consultation costs approximately 150 gords (about 70 gords to $1). However, they are a Christian hospital and no one is turned away, they will work with you to ensure your health. The hospital includes the following units: OBGYN, Pediatrics, NICU, Theater or Surgery, Urgency Center, Sports Rehab, Occupational Therapy and the Maisson de Benedict, a respite care for disabled children. The sports rehab is available for the general public as a subscription like a gym would be in the US, the OBGYN have private rooms available for deliveries at an extra cost, and a cafeteria is available for family. Both of these provide extra funds to the hospital that make up for when others are unable to pay. Fun facts: * The nursing students from Haiti who train here wear plaid and white rimmed shirts, white bonnets and white pleated skirts with pantyhose and white tennis shoes. * The Maisson de Benedict can hold 22 kids and children go home on the weekends with their family. * There is only one rehab center in Haiti. 2nd Mile Haiti. The first 1000 days of a person’s life are the most definitive of their life (from conception on). This recovery center is a holistic approach to treating malnutrition. They have housed almost 800 families, the original goal was to prevent children in orphanages. Currently, 1/100 children are in an institution of some kind in Haiti. 2nd mile focuses on educating caregivers during the recovery process of malnutrition and to prevent reoccurrence. They focus on education and provide 5 courses: Nutrition, maternal child health care, literacy, business and gardening. All educators on staff are psychologists. 85% of caregivers do not have income when they come. Not only does 2nd Mile educate the caregivers on these courses but they also teach them how to run a startup business and provide 3 start-up templates. Families stay at 2nd Mile Monday-Friday and then go home to practice what they’ve learned. They want to see families easily replicate what they have learned. The average stay is 8.5 weeks. Longer stays include children with health problems like HIV/AIDS that are more complicated. 2nd Mile can house up to 22 families. Referrals come from other moms and orphanages. 60% of the food they eat is grown on site in gardens run by the community. They plant and grow to essential nutrient based trees- the Maranga and the Chia. Maranga means tree of life. It is made in to powder or in foods for extra nutrition. Chia is a bush that is also known as Chia Mexican spinach. It has to be boiled for twenty minutes before eaten but is nutritionally rich. The goal is to have each caregiver leave with one maranga tree and one chia plant so they can continue to incorporate these nutrients in their diet. During the caregivers stay they are given a pre-test, an education book to learn from, and then a post test to see what they have learned. At graduation, they will take home a goat that they have helped raise. Fun Facts: * In Haiti 1/50 women will die of maternal health conditions. * Abortions are illegal. * Pregnancy related mortality results in 6/1000 births. * 4/10 pregnancies are considered high risk. * 1/250 result in death of both mom and baby. * High risk pregnancies at 2nd Mile are referred to the Milo Catholic hospital. * 75% of deliveries in Haiti end up happening at home. * A Matwon is a birthing attendant. * There is a 9% cesarean rate. * Haitians find stirrups offensive so massage tables are used for exams. Tonight, to prepare for our clinic we had a lesson in basic French Creole words and phrases. Just for fun, here’s what we learned: Kòman ou ye - How are You? Buen - good Mal - Bad E ou - and you? Kòman (or Kijan) ou rele - How/What is your name? Muy rele- My name is Mwen rele - I am...Rachelle E ou menm kòman - and your name is? Anu alé - Lets go Chot- HOT! Bon jour - good morning Bon swaa- good afternoon Bon wii- good night, good bye Merci - thank you Merci Anpil - thank you very much Pa dekwa- you’re welcome Mwen bien - I’m fine Tre byen- I’m good Mwen Konrad rekonēt ou - nice to meet you Wi - yes No - no Ki laj ou? - how old are you? Vini- finish Ale - go/leave Chita - sit down Kanpe - stand Kouche- lay down Isit- here La - there Kisa ou qenyen or Ki pwoblem ou qenyen- what is the problem? Poukisa ou vini jodia? - why did you come today? Ki kite Ki fe ou mal? - Where does it hurt? Tèt - bead Vant- stomach Nen - nose Men - hands Pye- feet Dàn - teeth Do - back Bouch - mouth Je- Eye Zórèy - ear Repetè anko- repeat again Souple - please Pale dousman - speak slowly Leve- wake up Dòmi - sleep - Rachelle & Chelsey
2 Comments
Mary Hefta
11/8/2018 08:00:49 am
Yay. Proud of u all!
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Trish Strom
11/9/2018 09:33:28 am
I am enjoying the details in your posts! It really helps me visualize where you are and what you are doing. I wish I was there with you ... but rest assured, I'm holding the fort down at NDSU until you return! :-).
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AuthorWe are 12 North Dakota State University senior registered nursing students on a mission to expand our knowledge, culture and diversity. Our professors, Abigail Vetter and Molly Secor-Turner, will guide us on our final experience of nursing school (short of graduation and boards!) to complete our practicum in Northern Haiti. This is our experience. Archives
November 2018
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