Haiti Mission

report by Sara Dail.

On March 20, 2010, ten individuals landed in Port-au-Prince to serve the wonderful people of Cite Soleil and the surrounding areas, suburbs of Port au Prince. Four doctors were on this team – Dr. Robert Majors, Dr. Lee Blackburn, Dr. Martin van Cleeff, and Dr. Richard Michal. Two nurses were involved – Ms. Gloria Peterson who works with Dr. van Cleeff and Ms. Betty Michal who is the wife of Dr. Michal. Ms. Brittany Montgomery, a second year medical school student from Iowa and Mr. Harris Wexler, a newly accepted medical school student for next year also worked with the team. Philip Dail and Randy Wiersma were team leaders.

Back row, left to right: Randy Wiersma, Martin van Cleeff, Lee Blackburn and Bob Majors. .Second row, left to right: Pastor Leon Dorleans, Betty Michal, Richard Michal, Britanny Montgomery, Philip Dail and Harris Wexler. Front: Gloria Peterson

Pastor Leon Dorleans of Haiti Outreach Ministries has an amazing presence in Port-au-Prince. He’s built 4 community centers, yet can be easily described as a powerful and yet humble man, loving and yet firm, visionary and yet completely aware of each day’s needs.

The community centers are located in Blanchard, Cite Soleil, Repatriate, and Ibo Beach. Plans are in place for a fifth center at Bon Repose. At this point, the centers at Blanchard and Cite Soleil are operational. Blanchard was virtually undamaged in the earthquake whereas Cite Soleil and Repatriate sustained a lot of damage. The church at Repatriate was totally destroyed. These areas are classified as the poorest slums in the Western Hemisphere, but poverty is not in the hearts and spirits of the people. The living conditions are difficult, but the people are amazing, warm, friendly, determined and some of the most optimistic people you will find.

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Our accommodations were better than we expected. We were fortunate to have excellent showers and bathroom facilities just outside our sleeping areas. The food was remarkable. Cooked over open flame, we were treated to some of the best grilled fare, fresh vegetables, rice, beans and more. Having eaten the local cuisine of many countries, this is as good as it gets.

We held clinic at Cite Soleil. The original clinic had sustained serious damage requiring us to set up operations outside. During our 4 days there, we documented serving 680 patients not including returns for follow up. We completed a patient ‘chart’ on each individual and saw people dealing with post-disaster trauma such as depression, sleep problems and a host of common health issues.

The range of patient conditions was extensive. Seriously ill individuals were sent directly to local hospitals. We suspected typhoid in one young man. A small baby with severe pneumonia was listless. Others came with less life threatening conditions, but nonetheless serious needs. There are estimated to be fewer than 700 physicians in Haiti, a ratio of 1 physician for every 15,000 citizens compared to 1 physician per 650 Americans. We provided everything free including all medications.

Your donations made this possible. Already plans are being made for a dental team to go as well as the return of a medical team at some point. We will keep you posted.

RR2010 Ticket Sale Update!

UPDATE! RR2010 has officially SOLD OUT!

Tickets for Redress Raleigh 2010 are going fast. We have sold out of seats and have fewer than 15 standing room tickets remaining!

This show is going to be blow people’s minds! We have a diverse group of designers from all around North Carolina participating. There are fantastic collections from ready-to-wear fashion to high-end and fantasy garments. Several collections will be available for sale after the show.

So if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, get them now! $8 for standing room and available online. Tickets bought online will available for pick up at the door on event day, April 17th.

UPDATE! RR2010 has officially SOLD OUT!

2010 Redress Raleigh Designers Announced!

We are happy to announce that the 2010 Redress Raleigh designers have been selected. We received many qualified submissions and the selection process was no easy task. The 18 designers chosen are listed below. Currently 15 of them have biographies posted on the site, beginning here. Congratulations to them all and here’s to a wonderful show!

• Jamie Powell
• Jackie Almeter
• Crystal Pickard
• Nicole Falchi and Daniella Wartner
• Lindsay Kay
• Christy Michal
• Katy Robb and Brittany Erb
• Courtney Schaffer
• Rima L’Amir
• Allison Szatek
• Grace McFarland
• Keira L. Flood
• Johanna Ely
• Margo Scott
• River Takada-Capel
• Payton-Alexis Brown

Haiti Disaster Relief

From BBC News:

“The 7.0-magnitude quake, Haiti’s worst in two centuries, struck south of Port-au-Prince, on Tuesday. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told US network CNN he believed more than 100,000 people had died. The Red Cross says up to three million people are affected.

The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude.The first tremor had hit at 1653 local time (2153 GMT) on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.”

Beleza is teaming up with MERCI, which is sponsored by the United Methodist Church, to get goods in the hands of the people quickly. If you want to donate any of these items to this cause, you can deliver them to Beleza (2014 Cameron Street Raleigh, NC 27605).

Items Needed for Haiti Right Away!
Basic Needs
Blankets
Sheets
Towels
Wash Clothes
Health Kits*
Food
Tarps

Medical Needs
Plastic or Fiberglass Casting
Suture 3-0,4-0 Nylon
Suture Instrument Kits
Betadine
4×4 Dressing
Roll Gauze
Web Roll for Casting
Saline IV and Irrigation
Injectible Pain Medication
Injectible Antibiotics IV and IM Rocephin, ANCEF, KFLEX
External Fixture
Tools to put them in (tool boxes??)
Traction Bows and Pins

*A Health Kit contains specific items:
1 hand towel (15” x 25” up to 17” x 27”)
1 wash cloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz and up)
1 toothbrush (single brush only in original wrapper; no child-sized brushes)
1 large tube of toothpaste
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
All items should be placed inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. No money, notes, religious or political literature, or other items should be placed in the kits.

The people of Haiti need your help!!!

Cultures on the Edge

In the Blink of an Eye

Worldwide some 300 million people retain strong identities as members of indigenous cultures, cultures rooted in their own history, their own languages and attached by memories to their particular places on the Earth. These cultures are old and represent much of the collective experience and intelligence of humanity. And yet, increasingly their voices are being silenced, their unique visions lost in the firestorm of change, conflict, globalization and encroachment from societies that marginalize those different from themselves.

National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis has done as much as anyone else on the planet to celebrate the diversity of the world’s indigenous cultures. In this speech given at TED 2003, he gives us a glimpse of his deep experiences among the extraordinary peoples he’s encountered…the very ones disappearing right in front of our eyes.