HurricaneMatthewReliefandRecoveryOneYearReport

2016-17

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TableofContents

LetterfromExecutiveDirector……………………………………………………….3ImpactSummary…………………………………………………….…………………….4

EmergencyResponse……………………………………………………………………5Agriculture&FoodSecurity…………..……………………………………………..8CommunityHealth……………………………………………………………………....11

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………15

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LetterfromExecutiveDirector

DearFriends,Last month, Hurricanes Irma and Mariabattered islands in the Caribbean causingwidespreaddamageandlossoflife.Haitiwaslargely spared, though heavy rains andfloodingcauseddamagetosomehomesandcrops,especiallyalongthenortherncoast.These storms came less than a year afterHurricane Matthew ripped through Haiti onOctober 4, 2016. The category five stormcaused massive destruction, leading to theworst humanitarian crisis since the January2010earthquake.Strongwinds,stormsurgesandheavy rains causedcatastrophicdamagetohomes, agricultural crops, livestock, roadsand bridges. It is estimated that more than1,000peopledied,andthousandsmorewereleft homeless with limited access to food,cleanwaterandmedicalcare.Within days, Project Medishare was on theground in Jeremie, working with localpartners to provide emergencymedical careandhumanitarianassistancetothoseinneed.Sincethen,oursupportofhurricane-affectedcommunitiesintheSouthandGrand’Anse,aswellasintheCentralPlateau,hascontinued.This report summarizes and highlights ouractivities in theweeksandmonths followingHurricane Matthew. Our efforts to help

families affected by the hurricane willcontinuethroughtheendof2018.As a South Florida resident and formerHaitiresident, I understand well the devastatingeffects of natural disasters, particularly onthepoor,thesickandtheelderly.Ialsoknowhow tragedy can draw communities andglobalcitizensclosertogether.From private companies to elementaryschools to professional athletes and singerstoouramazingBoardofDirectors,volunteersand supporters, you answered ProjectMedishare’scallforhelp.Itisbecauseofyourgenerosity that Project Medishare has beenabletohelpcommunitiesandfamiliesrebuildfromHurricaneMatthew. Thank you for your support. Thank you formakingadifference!MèsiAnpil,

ReneeLewisExecutiveDirector

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EmergencyResponse

IntheimmediateaftermathofHurricaneMatthew,ProjectMedishareprovidedover110tonsofsuppliestoaffectedfamilies,includingwaterpurificationtablets,mosquitonets,medications,medicalsupplies,andfoodandhygienekits.Inaddition,ourmedicalstaffandvolunteersdeliveredcaretomorethan4,000patients,treatingavarietyofconditionsfrominfected

woundstofeverstospinalcordinjuries.

KeyActivities

• HygieneandFoodKitDistribution• PrimaryandWoundCare

• MedicalSuppliesandMedication

Results

4,000+ 27 31PATIENTSTREATED PATIENTSEVACUATED VOLUNTEERS&HBMIN3WEEKSFORCRITICALCARESTAFFDELIVEREDCARE

1,000 110 55,000FAMILIESGIVEN TONSOFGOODS WATERPURIFICATIONFOOD&HYGIENEKITSDISTRIBUTEDTABLETSDISTRIBUTED

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ReachingtheRavine

Duringthe hurricane, a pieceof steel roofing blew into 14-year-oldMaxo,leavingadeep,gapingwoundinhiscalf.Withno access to medical care, aweek passed before he couldvisit the field clinic in Jeremiewhere Project Medisharehelped treat patients injuredby the storm. The woundbecameinfected.Maxo winced in pain as hiswound was cleaned andstitched. After having hisprescriptions filled at thepharmacy, Maxo began the20-minute walk home fromthe clinic – he couldn’t affordthe$0.75taxifare.As he walked through streetslittered with fallen trees andother debris, Maxo grimacedin pain. When he finallyreachedhishousenearalargeravine, his grandmother wasoutfrontwashingclothes.“These clothes I’m washingare the only things we haveleft,” she said. Thewind tookpart of our roof. The rainruinedthefewthingswehad,and the rocks took half ourwalls.Wehavenothing.”Maxo’s mother died severalyearsago,andhisfatherisnota part of his life. Hisgrandmother is his onlycaretaker.KnowingthatMaxowas able to receive freemedical care liftedoneofhermanyburdens.

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OfftheField:NFLTeamsGiveBack

Project Medishare Board Member Pierre Garçon and his formerWashingtonRedskinsteammate,RickyJeanFrancois,tooktimeduringthebusy NFL season last year to travel to Haiti to deliver critical medicalsuppliestoHospitalBernardMevs.ThetwoHaitian-Americans,alongwithSeniorVicePresidentTonyWyllie,madetheirwaytoHaitionOctober10,2016onRedskinsownerDanSnyder’sprivatejet.A few weeks later, a delegation from the Miami Dolphins, includingTerrenceFedeandcheerleaderAmina,bothofHaitiandescent,traveledtoHaititovisitpatientsatHBM.TheywerejoinedbySeniorVicePresidentsJasonJenkinsandNatMoore,andotherstaff.TheDolphinslaterdonateda ventilator to the hospital afterwitnessing firsthand the need forlifesaving equipment. Additionally, Dolphins staff, fans and localschoolchildrenpackedhygienekitsforhurricanesurvivors.

VeteranVolunteersLendaHand

Since our founding more than 20 years ago, volunteers have played an important role in helping ProjectMedishareprovide lifesavingcare toHaitians.HurricaneMatthewwasnodifferent. In thedays following thehurricane,severalreturningvolunteersweredeployedfromHospitalBernardMevsinPort-au-PrincetoafieldclinicinJeremie.OneofthosevolunteerswasDr.SamAbelson.Dr.Abelson,anEmergencyRoomphysicianfromMinnesota,hasvolunteeredwithProjectMedishareatleast20timessince2010.Asalong-timevolunteer,hehasexperiencedtheupsanddownsofworkinginachallenging,low-resourceenvironment.WitnessingthecatastrophicdamageandlifethreateninginjuriescausedbyHurricaneMatthewwasparticularlyemotional,evenforthisveteranvolunteer.Afterrevivingandevacuatingamotherofthreeneardeath,Dr.Abelsonwrotethefollowingonhisblog:"Onthedrivebacktotheclinic,Icried.Icriedbecausewealmostlosta39-year-oldwoman.Icriedthinkingabouta4-year-old,almosthavingtogrowupwithoutamother.Icriedbecauseforeverypersonweareluckyenoughtosavemanymorearedyingneedlessly.ThesystemisbrokenhereinHaiti.Itwasnevergood,butahurricanehaspusheditbeyondthebreakingpoint.Today,forsomereasonwewereluckyenoughtosaveamotherofthree.”

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AgricultureandFoodSecurity

KeyActivities

• Distributionofagriculturalinputs• Treeplantingandreforestation• Technicaltrainingandmonitoring

Inthemonthsfollowingthehurricane,ProjectMedisharepartneredwithtwolocalorganizations,SmallholdersFarmersAlliance(SFA)andCarisFoundation,tosupportvulnerablefamiliesintheGrand’AnseandSouthdepartments.Thegoaloftheseprojectswastoprovidefarmersandfamiliesinhard-hitareaswiththetoolsandresourcesneededtogeneratean

incomeandimprovefoodsecurity.

Results

2,185 4 12,000+BENEFICIARIES TREENURSERIES TREESPLANTED

2,500 17+ CHICKENSDISTRIBUTEDEGGSLAYEDPERMONTH

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PartneringtoRebuild

Through our partnership withSFA, 800 farm families acrosseight communities near LesCayes were selected toparticipate in an agriculturalrecovery project. Each farmerreceived the seeds, tools andtrainingneededtomaketheirfarms productive again. Thefarmers also established fourtree nurseries, which areexpected to generate at least20,000treesin2017.In May, farmers began toharvest the beans, corn andpeanutstheyplantedearlierinthe year. So far more than12,000 fruit and timber treeshave been planted to helpreforestthearea.With a grant from ProjectMedishare, Caris launched apilotpoultryfarmingprojectinJeremie. As part of the pilotproject, 222 families eachreceived 10 egg-laying hens,and 10 women’s groupsrepresenting about 363women, each received 20-30chickens. In addition, projectparticipants received a newlyconstructed chicken coop, alimitedsupplyofchicken feedandeducationaltraining.Currently, the chickens areproducinganaverageof17-22eggs per month. Families areconsuming some of the eggs,sharing them with neighbors,and selling them in the localmarkettogenerateincome.

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RenewedHopeforFarmers

Asafather,oneofJeanBenjaminBrison’stopprioritiesistoprotecthisfamily.That’swhywhenforcefulwindsfromHurricaneMatthewstartedrattlingthedoorsandwindowsofhishome,the40-year-oldfatherofthreetoldhisfrightenedchildrentogetunderthediningroomtable.“Itwasaboutoneo’clockinthemorning.Thewindwasveryloudandstrong.Iwokeupmydaughtersandtoldthemtogetunderthetable.Ithoughtthatwouldprotectthemfromgettinghurt.”Andindeed,itdid.NooneinJean’sfamilywasphysicallyinjured.Buteverythinginthehousewasdestroyed,aswellasnearlyalloftheircropsandlivestock.Jean’sfamilylivedinthehousefor13years.“Ourbeds,clothes,everythingwasruined.Ihadfivegoats,threesheepandtwopigs.Now,Ionlyhaveonepig.Alltheotheranimalsdied.Thenextmorning,Ifoundthemthere,”hesaidpointingtoanareabehindhishouse.Afterthehurricane,Jeanfeltdiscouragedandoverwhelmedbytheweightofthedevastationanddestructionitcaused.ProjectMedishare’sprojectwithSFAbroughtaglimmerofhopetoJeanandotherfarmersinhisruralcommunityofCassis.“Since the hurricane,we have been livingwith a neighbor.Mymom and sisters live in a tent. I couldn’t doanythingforthem.Ididn’tknowwhatIwoulddo,”saidJean,pausingforamomentbeforecontinuing.“When[Agronomist]Abelcametotalktofarmersinour[peasant’sassociation]aboutthisproject,Ifeltencouraged.IfeltthatmaybenowIwouldhaveachance.”As themanagerof thenursery inCassis, Jeanensures that farmers take turns caring for the fruitand timbertreesuntilthey’rematureenoughtobedistributedandplanted.Caringforthenursery isasenseofprideforthefarmers,andhelpsthemremainoptimisticastheywaittobenefitfromthefruitsoftheirlabor.WhileJeanfeelsmorehopefulaboutthefuture,heandhisfamilyarestilldealingwiththepsychologicaleffectsofthehurricane.He’snoticedachangeinhischildren’sappetites,andwheneverthere’sagustofwind,theygetscared.Thoughnothingcanreplacetheiroldhomeandthememoriestheysharedthere,heisreadytorebuild. “BecauseofSFA,Ihavehope.NowthatIknowIcanearnmoneyagain,Igotaloantobuildanewhouseformyfamily,”Jeansaidwithabroadsmile.Heplanstobuildhisnewhomeontheplotoflandjustbelowtheoldone.

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CommunityHealth

KeyActivities

• MobileClinics• MalnutritionScreeningandTreatment

• Water,SanitationandHygiene

CommunityhealthisatthecoreofProjectMedishare’smission.Assuch,ourteamimplementedmobileclinicsandotheractivitiesinhurricane-affectedcommunitiestohelpensurefamilieshadaccesstopreventativeandclinicalprimarycare,aswellasclean,safewater.Additionally,asaprecautionarymeasure,wetookseveralstepstoimproveWASH

infrastructureinourcommunitiesintheCentralPlateau.

Results

2,300+ 17 964MOBILECLINICMOBILECLINIC HYGIENEKITSPATIENTSVOLUNTEERSDISTRIBUTED

70120+ 1,000GALLONSOFCHLORINECHILDRENTREATEDHYGIENEKITSDISTRIBUTEDFORMALNUTRITION*DISTRIBUTED*

*Projectedresultsbyendof2018

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DeliveringEssentialCare

As a complement to ouragricultural recovery projectwithSFA,thissummerProjectMedishare conducted four,three day mobile clinics inrural communities near LesCayesintheSouthofHaiti.Seventeendoctors,nursesandpharmacists from the US andCanada traveled to Haiti tohelp provide care at theclinics.Thevolunteersworkedwith local healthcareprofessionals and ProjectMedishare’s team to provideessential health care servicestomorethan2,300people.Tiffany Ojea, a registerednurse pursuing a Master ofScience in Nursing at theUniversity ofMiami School ofNursing, made her thirdvolunteer trip to Haiti in Julytowork at one of themobileclinics.Whilethere,shemetafamilyoftenwhose3-year-oldtwins and 18-month-old hadsufferedfrommalnutrition.“During the previous mobileclinic, a few weeks before Iarrived, the three childrenwere hospitalized formalnutrition,” said Tiffany.“The one-and-a-half-year-oldonlyweighed six pounds. Themobile clinic allowed for thefollow-upof this child andhis[siblings]. It was incredible tosee the impact the mobileclinichadonthisfamilyandtosee the [children were] alertandinbetterhealth.“

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MedicineasaCuretoMisconceptions

InMay, 13-year-oldWendel’s grandmother brought him to ProjectMedishare’smobile clinic in SaintHeleneafterhearingfromothersinthecommunitythatweweregivingmultivitaminstochildren.Uponarrivingatthechurchwherethemobileclinicwasbeingheld,itwasimmediatelyapparenttoourmedicalteamthatWendelneededmuchmorethanmultivitamins.Wendelwasunabletowalkorsit-uponhisown.Hewasunresponsivetoquestionsandunabletospeak.Afterfurtherexamination,aswellasquestioninghisgrandmother,doctorsdetermined thatWendelwasexhibitingsymptoms of epilepsy. The problem: His grandmother didn’t believe it. She believed hewas possessed by aVoudouspirit–acommonmisconceptionduetoalackofunderstandingofmedicalconditionslikeepilepsy.“I’dsaythatthisisaverytypicalcase,”saidProgramCoordinatorDr.FarahAlfred.“I’dalsogosofarastosaythataround99%ofepilepsycases inHaitiarethoughttobespirits.Andunfortunately, it’snotseenasarealproblem inHaiti. There are nomajor awareness campaigns being done and certainly not enough clinics anddoctorstotreatthosethatneeditthemost.”Wendel’s grandmotherwas skeptical thatmedicinewouldhelphergrandson, and thoughthisonly sourceofhelpwouldcomefromprayer.Eventually,Dr.Alfredconvincedhertotrythemedicine,inadditiontoprayer.Dr.Alfred left that mobile clinic hoping that the next time she sawWendel, his condition would be improved.Severalweekslater,atourthirdroundofmobileclinicsinJuly,Wendelandhisgrandmotherreturned.“WhenIgotto[thesite] IknewWendelandJacquelineweresupposedtobethere. Ihadn’thadanynewsofthemthough,soIwaslookingforayoungboylyingdown,”saidDr.Alfred.“Ihadn’trealizedthattheyoungboyrunningtowardsmewasWendel!ItwasonlywhenheranupandhuggedmethatIsawitwashim.”Wendel’s grandmother was very excited to share his progress. He hadn’t suffered a single seizure since hestarted takinghismedicine,andhewasexpected to return toschool this fall.Wendelwasalsoable toenjoychildhood activities again, like playing soccer. Wendel’s grandmother not only better understands hergrandson’sillness,butnowsheeducatesothersinhercommunityaboutepilepsy.“NowIknowthatitisanillness.Ifitwasn’t,thenthemedicinewouldn’thaveworked.Now,Itelleveryoneinmy community that there’s this disease called epilepsy and that sometimes it’s not a demon that’s takenpossession.Sometimestheperson issickandcanbehelpedbydoctors.”Shecontinued,“If Ihadn’tseenthechangeinhimwithmyowntwoeyes,Idon’tthinkIwould’vebelievedit.Icannotsaythankyouenough.”

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InNovember2016,amonthafterHurricaneMatthew,14suspectedcholeracaseswerereportedinLahoye.Twoofthose people died: a 10-year-old girl and an 80-year-oldman. Our staff transported the other 12 people to acholeratreatmentcenter.TocontainapotentialwidespreadoutbreakinLahoye,weimmediately installed handwashing stations in theaffected communities, distributed water purificationtablets,chlorineandoralrehydrationsalts,andconductedactivitiestoeducatethecommunity.Also,464hygienekitsweredistributedtovulnerablefamilies.Giventhecontinuednationalconcernsaboutcholera,500hygiene kitswere distributed in September, and another1,000willbedistributedinthecomingmonths.

MinimizingtheRiskofWaterborneDiseases

IntheCentralPlateau,HurricaneMatthewaffectedthethreecommunitieswhereProjectMedishareworks,thoughto a lesser extent than in the South and Grand’Anse. Strong winds caused damage to a few homes, and flashfloodingwipedoutcropsandtriggeredsmalllandslides.Withgrowingconcernsaboutanincreaseinwaterbornediseases,especiallycholera,duetotheheavyrainsacrossthe country,we tookmeasures tominimize risks to our communities. This included the improvement ofwater,sanitationandhygiene(WASH)infrastructure,andthere-educationofcommunitiesandhealthworkersabouttheongoingthreatofcholera.Specifically,ProjectMedishareinstalledanewseptictankandleachfieldatourclinicinMarmont,anddrilledthreenewwells–twoinMarmontandoneinLahoye.AsecondwellwillbedrilledinLahoyelaterthisyear.Thewellswillensure adequate access to cleanwater in our facilities, andwill be available for community use. Finally, a newchlorine generatorwas installed at our chlorine plant, greatly increasing our capacity to produce and distributechlorinetoschools,medical facilitiesandcommunities.Duringthemobileclinics intheSouth,ProjectMedishareconductedWASHeducationseminarsanddistributed70gallonsofchlorinestofamilies.

P.O.Box381208Miami,Florida33128-1208www.projectmedishare.org

MèsiAnpil!

ThankyoutoallofoursupportersaroundtheworldforhelpingProjectMedishareprovideemergencymedicalcareandhumanitarianassistanceintheimmediateaftermathofHurricaneMatthew,andaidinthelong-termrebuildingoffamiliesandcommunities.Oureffortswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutyou.

AspecialthankstoourBoardofDirectors,staffandpartners.