Philippe:
Just six years ago, the young man pictured above made a big decision that to this day has positive consequences. He left a teacher preparation program in Haiti and immigrated to El Maniel in the high country above Paraiso. He arrived knowing Creole much better than the majority of folks and soon became involved in community leadership positions. His ability to read quickly and his interest in the Church led him to become the local catechist.
Doctor Alfredo Nombela:
When Doctor Alfredo met Philippe, the young man knew next to nothing about medicine. That was soon to change. Alfredo decided to coach both Philippe and Yela (the young woman pictured above who lives on Chene mountain) towards becoming very competent health promoters. Every Saturday he would arrive on motorcycle and drive up to the communities where these young people live. He taught them how to take vital signs, how to give injections, how to detect infectious diseases and how to run many diagnostic field tests.
Sustained coaching:
Lots of people in the third world become public health promoters. Extremely few receive the kind of on-site education and consistent shepherding that Philippe and Yela received. They attended workshops and performed numerous patient interventions in the presence of Doctor Alfredo. They became like his children in the field.
Profound blessing:
Often enough, rural people who receive a special education take advantage of this input to move out of the mountains and down into cities or the capital. They remove vital expertize from the communities where they served. This represents a serious "brain drain" for the rural communities and often results in a setback to previous levels of infections and diseases. Both Philippe and Yela have nurtured the communities where they live, setting down roots which add stability to the services which Doctor Alfredo provided.
Crisis:
The program which allowed Doctor Alfredo to coach two rural Haitian health promoters has run out of funding. It will terminate at the end of this month. Among all the interventions which seek to be of concrete service to the "poorest of the poor" in our area, this project ranks among the most beneficial. It combines quality on-site education and follow-up of intelligent, capable young people. They speak and read the required languages; are motivated to serve others; and have a proven track record of responsible service. We hope to find ways to keep their program alive!
