I was seeking to work with an NGO that was dedicated to improving the health & quality of lives for the people of Haiti. Haiti Clinic does just that! I have never met such caring, compassionate, and dedicated people as those who volunteer with Haiti Clinic. I've been to Haiti 9 times over the past 14 months. Every time we pull up to our clinic in Cite Soleil, there as always hundreds of people waiting outside with huge smiles and plenty of "thanks"! There is no price for that! The most amazing part about volunteering is seeing the changes that are transpiring in their community and in their health as a result of Haiti Clinic! Haiti Clinic truly is making a difference!
I've been to Haiti 4 times in the last year volunteering as a physician with Haiti Clinic. The people in the organization are wonderful. The clinic serves the most needy population in the Port Au Prince area. Even prior to the earthquake they had no electricity, running water or sanitation. The clinic does an excellent job with very limited resources providing free medical care and medicines for acute illness, prenatal care and well baby care. Haiti Clinic is staffed by a Haitian physician and nurses during the week. On weekends, physicians from the states come down to do large clinics. All volunteers pay all their own expenses. So, there is no overhead to speak of. Every donated dollar is used to provide care to people who would otherwise never get it!
I have been to Haiti several times on medical missions but most recently with Haiti Clinic in Citie Soliel. Citie Soliel is one of the poorest slums in the world, with no running water, sanitation or electricity. The residents there have very little access to healthcare. Unlike many other missions to Haiti, Haiti Clinic is dedicated to providing a permanent clinic there with US physicians coming in only to support the Haitian providers who are there all of the time. As such, Haiti Clinic is able to provide better quality healthcare for the residents of Citie Soliel. Haiti Clinic sends teams to the clinic every two months or so to restock medicines and provide specialty care to help eradicate the many parasitic and infectious diseases endemic to the area. They have also established a prenatal and woman's clinic. All of the physicians here are volunteers and there is almost no "administrative overhead"...we pay our own way and provide for our own meals while there. Donations go predominantly to the running of the clinic.
I have been to Haiti twice with Haiti Clinic volunteers. The work needed is overwhelming; but, this small group gets it done. We saw between 700 and 900 patients on each of the clinic weekends we were there. Every penny donated goes to the purchase of medications and supplies, I have seen this firsthand!!!
I am a volunteer nurse which has assisted in Haiti at the Haiti Clinic pre and post earthquake. The area we have a clinic is Cite de Soiel, the biggest slum in Au Port d' Prince, Haiti. I pay for my own way and all expenses to participate in this clinic. We service over 900 people during 1 weekend each month. I have seen cases of scabies, malnutrition, boils, broken bones, knife lacerations, and bad infected teeth. the people here live in shacks with no electricity, cook off open flames, have dirt floors and limited opportunities for improvement. They drink contaminated water which they need to buy and is trucked in to them. Their government is not able to help them due to the large population. The Haiti Clinic is assisting these people to have some heatlh care provided to them for free as most hospitals in Haiti charge the population before they get any care. At one clinic, Haiti Clinic paid the hospital to treat an infant due to dehydration.
For the 1st year following the Haiti earthquake, my Jensen Beach, FL church supported a national, church related charity providing supplies to Haiti. However, we found the shipping costs prohibitive and searched for another, lower overhead way to continue helping. Right under our noses, in Vero Beach, FL, we found a wonderful nonprofit that fit our situation perfectly. Haiti Clinic is a well-run, trust worthy, low overhead, non-sectarian, hands-on charity that provides both professional medical services and supplies to a clinic that was already established in a slum/suburb of Port au Prince before the earthquake. For anyone living in the general vacinity of Vero Beach, there are various ways to help, such as doing simple "pill packing" tasks or gathering baby/toddler supplies for the Clinic's Failure to Thrive program. The later is what my church is doing. If you live further away you can just send a check and be sure 100% will go to the needs of the Clinic and its patients. There's no administrative overhead or shipping costs for any of the supplies or people who fly down to Haiti every other month.
This is a wonderful charity that provides a medical clinic in a very poor inner city area. Pills are provided for the patients in small weekly or monthly bags so that they may have them without cost.
I have never worried about drinking fresh water, buying clothes, walking down the street or even finding something to eat for breakfast. I have medical care whenever and whereever I chose. I shower in clean water every day and put on clean clothes every morning.
These simple facets of life are gone when you land in Haiti. You quickly realize that life is possible without them, but the comforts that they provide make life that much more secure.
As a physician, I traveled to Haiti three times in the last year and a half and each time brought several friends and colleagues down to help, learn and serve. The personal struggles that we carried were left at the airport as we saw what others were experiencing. Just to meet, serve and participate in the health care of the Haitian people was incredible.
Able to help people who rally need basic heathcare and everything I spent went directly into helping them
I have participated in multiple clinics. They are well run and accomplish a lot. We cared for many hundreds of very poor, very sick patients.
Haiti Clinic is a non-profit organization with many supporters in the Vero Beach area. All volunteers pay for every expense they have when traveling to Haiti. The people in this poor shanty town would have no other medical care if it wasn't for this caring group of individuals.
Donations to the Haiti Clinic support work that I SEE being done. Co- workers regularly going to Haiti to participate at the clinic, spending their own time and money to work tirelessly for the cause. They spend days at home preparing for the trips of the doctors, nurses and others by collecting donated items, sorting them and preparing medication packets to distribute. They return with stories that make you cry, make you smile and make you grateful for the work the dedicated volunteers are doing. Every time Haiti makes it to the news, it is because some natural disaster has occurred right on top of the last one and you wonder how the people can survive. They have little, if any, government support. We here have alot of support when one of the disasters occurs and yet we think it is devastating. This little clinic helps the survivors in very real ways. They are truly a GREAT non profit!!!