Nathalie Pervil, an Everyday Haitian Hero

At St. Luke Foundation, we are very proud of our staff and how much they have accomplished. This month we recognize the hard work of one of our nurses, Nathalie Pervil.

Miss Nathalie Pervil started working as a nurse at St. Luke Hospital in 2012. Her exuberant personality and big smile lights up the room wherever she is. Just being around her as she screens patients, participates in educational skits, and cares for her patients, you can tell that she loves what she is doing.

Nurse Pervil grew up in a children’s home provided by Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), the sister organization to St. Luke Foundation. NPH is a Catholic ministry providing homes for over 3,000 vulnerable, abandoned, or orphaned children within Latin American and the Caribbean. In Haiti, NPH is known as Nos Petits Frère et Soeurs (NPFS). Nathalie came to NPFS when she was about 12 years old. She, her sister, and three brothers had been living with their aunt for several years after both their parents had become ill and died. Although Nathalie’s aunt tried her hardest to care for the children, she found that she could not sustain the family, and so Nathalie and two of her siblings were placed under the care of an NPFS home, called St. Helene in Kenscoff, Haiti.

“I felt at home there,” Nathalie says. While she lived at St. Helene, Nathalie was able to go to school and further her education. After a couple years, the top students at the NPFS home were chosen to attend a boarding school where all of their school and living expenses would be covered. Nathalie was one of the top students. She spent three years attending the boarding school, Ecole Marie Auxilliatrice, before she returned to live with her aunt as a young adult. Although Nathalie liked living with her family, the situation was less than ideal as she hoped to continue her education, and her aunt’s house was far away from the school. Since this was the case, NPFS was able to rent a small house for her to live in while she finished her education.

Nathalie’s first choice was not going to be nursing—she had other interests—but when she was offered a scholarship to attend nursing school, she took the opportunity, and she is so glad that she did because she loves her job. She is so grateful for the gift of education that she has received from NPFS.

Nathalie’s advice for younger nurses, or others considering becoming nurses is that they must love what they are doing. She suggests spending time in a hospital, or around sick people to get experience and realize if you can spend your life doing that kind of work. She also says, “You must be patient, have discretion, be tolerant, compassionate, and have a strong sense of responsibility. You must be a master of the skills you need for you job, and you must realize that your patients’ lives are in your hands.”

In the future, Miss Nathalie would like to pursue further education if the opportunity arises, but for now, she is happy working for St. Luke. She would love to someday study anesthesiology or neonatology, but unfortunately neither of these nursing specialties are taught in Haiti, and she would have to leave the country to obtain this kind of education. Nathalie shared that should would love to see more long-term partnerships with visitors who come to Haiti. She is grateful when visitors can share information and technology, and she hopes that will increase and continue!