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By Jemps Civil, AmeriCares Haiti Relief Worker
Delice Rodrigue is a typical Haitian mother. In Haiti, motherhood is a symbol of power. A mother not only gives birth, she stays by your side whenever something goes wrong, for as long as you need, until she finds a solution.
It’s been two days since Delice Rodrigue walked to our partner’s clinic. A young mother from the hard-hit Fort National neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, she was desperately seeking help for her two-year-old daughter Rebecca. Her little girl was suffering from diarrhea, which often leads to dehydration and death for young earthquake survivors.
Delice took Rebecca to several hospitals, but they were all overflowing with patients. In Haiti, you have to arrive at a hospital very early to be among the patients who receive service that day. As Haiti is in a state of emergency, many private hospitals now give free medical care. But between disaster-related injuries and a backlog of people with chronic conditions, demand has greatly increased. Many people wait for days to see a doctor.
Disoriented and disappointed after searching for care for her sick daughter in 95 degree heat, an exhausted Delice reached out to a friend for help. She would not give up on little Rebecca. Fortunately, her friend gave her the good news about an AmeriCares-supported clinic in her community.
Delice knew the earthquake destroyed her local clinic and thought it would be impossible to rebuild. But with the establishment of the community clinic, in partnership with PCI, people living in Fort National now have improved access to health care.
Delice was so relieved that Rebecca was finally going to be seen by a doctor. To her surprise, the clinic also gave her the free medicines her daughter needed to get well. “Now, I can take a breath,” said Delice.
It’s hard to imagine how a temporary structure built in a space previously covered in rubble can bring hope for a community of more than 20,000 people. But that is the reality in post-earthquake Haiti.
AmeriCares Commitment to Saving Lives Around the World
AmeriCares long-term commitment to Haiti builds on our experience and expertise in delivering critical medical aid under difficult circumstances to hard-to-reach places. Overcoming the challenges of man-made crises such as Darfur and natural disasters worldwide, AmeriCares has a proven track record of delivering aid whenever and wherever it’s needed.
From remote villages in the Himalayan mountains and communities deep in the jungles of Guatemala to distressed cities in the U.S. such as Detroit and New Orleans, AmeriCares goes the extra mile to get lifesaving medical supplies into the hands of people in need. Your support helps people in Haiti like Delice and Rebecca – as well as millions of other men, women and children in crisis around the world.
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