What I do everday, January 27 2024

Early this morning at 6am I got a message from Jonas, whose brother was killed Sept 5 in a brutal way, telling me there was knocking at his gate. He was petrified for he and his wife. There was not much I could do for them from Tabarre.

But I was also worried he might be facing violence. The knocking stopped, and then I could mot reach him any more on the phone. I don’t know where he lives, so i could not go there.

After a half hour of dread on my part, Jonas contacted me and sent me the picture below, with the explanation it was a “zombie” at his gate. I asked him to bring him to me, with his mother.

He is one more case of a teenager who has broken down mentally from the stress of the country. His mother told me his last passing grade was 9th, and he ended the year with honors. He now has two years of almost autistic behavior.

I called a good friend, a Haitian-Amercian psychiatrist in Fort Lauderdale, who works with Haitian refugees for the public health department. I have done this many times, She speaks via Whatsapp video with the mother for background and with usually also with the disturbed youth (even though this time that was not possible to get any response from Pierre Louis)

I get from her recommendations for first medicines, with strategy to evolve as there is more responsiveness and interaction from this young man.

We were also alerted since 6am of bandit attacks in all the area of Kenscoff. Since our orphanage is in the mountains, not to mention many friends there, it has been a preoccupation all day. There are some deaths, many burned houses, many refugees. This is a daily occurence here, very sadly.

We were also alerted that with President Trumps order suspending all US government funding to all countries except Israel and Egypt, that our program to care for some 600 patients with HIV/AIDS and TB is no longer funded. This is a death sentence for the 548 of these patients that are on medicine for HIV.

We will try to scramble to raise the $62K needed to continue, at least for the 90 days of suspension as the US Government reevaluates.

St Damien Hospital has new cribs from Italy, and we have been given about 30 of the original cribs. We are trying to sell them for $100/each to be able to pay the $3,000 for the surgery for the small child with hydrocephalus.

We are in our third day of trying to free a 7 years old in the hands of kidnappers. We were asked to help late in the game by the family, which has already paid a heavy ransom. We are trying through our usual channels to get her released.

Maybe tomorrow….we pray for that.

We are also expecting that our “Biden Parolees”, including Raphaels children and family, whose are legally in the USA and are working with proper work permits, who are paying taxes and health insurance through their work, will be returned to this country where they were almost massacred. We understand the dynamics in USA are not favorable to refugees, to Biden parolees in particular,

We are doing out best to come up with human reentry strategies for them in Haiti.

The sun is setting, the stars our out, as is the brilliant alignment of a handful of planets.

God is Provident, and our strength in good times and bad.