NWB update and Dr. Zeenia's trip this August.

As many of you know I headed back to Haiti to work on a pilot project with a different organization and it was an honor to work with Dr. Pat Wolff of Meds and Foods for Kids (MFK). She is a long term fixture in the north of Haiti and her organization does amazing work in the treatment of malnutrition with a product called Medika Mamba as well as economic development and capacity building as they source much of their peanut product from Haiti and have just opened a beautiful new factory that employs many from the community. 

This project was aimed at getting a chance to learn more about how mothers within the community would respond to learning infant massage techniques. These techniques aid in maternal and child attachment and closeness which is not as common in Haiti as one might think. There are not many women (perhaps with the exception of rural areas) who ‘wear’ their children and more often than not the children are wrapped up, as to protect them from the elements, in blankets and have limited skin on skin contact with their mothers. Also, the traditions of massage which are steeped deep in almost all of the world’s many cultural groups, tend to be forgotten or not passed down through the generations. This is true here in the US too though we have access to numerous services and groups who advocate 'touch' for babies. In the end, these massage techniques could make a huge difference in the lives of these children as we know that mothers who are connected to their babies are more likely to feed and care for them as well as to be in touch (ha!) with the child’s needs on an emotional level. Greater gains in cognitive development along with decreased rates of malnutrition and post-partum depression are both hopeful outcomes of a long term research project that could essentially train hundreds of women and health workers who could then train thousands more. The possibilities are endless and I am so happy to have been able to be a part of this project!

Proud mama getting a small token of our appreciation for participating.

Gerry, an RN and Massage Therapist who ran the three day hands on class in massage 

brought not only her amazing talent and kind heart but also gorgeous bracelets for the moms to wear in order to remember to not only massage their babies daily, but to be a reminder of their newly gained knowledge that they can share with their friends and family. It was a great idea and was very well received by the women

Gerry led not only the massage lessons for the babies but also breathing and movement exercises for the moms! They really got into it. She jumped right in, using her learned Kreyol to make individual connections with each of the moms.

Another young woman working on the project was Amanda, she is working with a doctor Pat Wolff knows, anjd getting ready to apply to medical school. She will certainly make one heck of a great doc with her attention to detail, awe inspiring intelligence and love of learning. She wrote most of the grant and came a week early so she and I could find participants and get baseline data in the form of questionnaires. 

Amanda and her beautiful smile. Her kindness poured out and the women really loved her there.

It was not only wonderful to be back in Haiti but it was also nice to make new friends and colleagues. As a team we spent a lot of time together so it was imperative we worked well together but we also forged great friendships that will last a lifetime. I couldn't have been happier with Gerry and Amanda, on a professional level as well as from the point of view of someone who has seen many people come and go in Haiti who just, "don't get it." Amanda and Gerry "get it", for real.

Gerry presents Joseph with a bracelet too

The whole group of 20 mamas and babies plus Joseph our translator.

Although we wanted only the moms to massage the babies I couldn't help say 'hi' on a break.

I also stopped by our clinic space where Dr. Martine works (after the project ended). She was very generous in letting us use her space to conduct the trainings for the project which was nice as I was able to see her briefly while we were working. We sat down to talk after the project was done and she is hopeful for NWB’s quick return as she has many great ideas for community outreach and programs she would like to collaborate on, but as we know, resources are limited. I hope that we can work on not only getting the clinic set up this next year, but also getting certain resources like posters, books, patient handout pictographs etc to Haiti, which I know will enhance the quality of care for the community.

The front of the clinic (left) 

 I also got some soil samples so we can make sure the future NWB garden is going to be safe for the community, I snapped some pictures as well. I cannot wait to show off “after” pics that will boast gorgeous greens, hearty carrots, colorful beets and more! Yay! Again, we are waiting for the appropriate funding to come in so we can make sure the project is sustainable and that we are able to hit the ground running which I know the other docs are tremendously excited to do as well.  So, for the sake of all involved I will try to be patient. Sadly, it’s just not one of my fortes.

One quarter of the garden area.

Another future garden shot.

From inside the clinic grounds. They have rooms on the second floor that NWB will renovate and rent for those of us working on the ground in Morne Rouge.

One of the consult rooms.

Until next time!