A recap of weeks 2 & 3

After a great first week I was excited to really dig my heels in and get a lot of work done. The first task was to drop off the current volunteers and pick up my first group at the airport – Tom Sandy from Ohio and Carton Blasburg from Kolm, Germany. It was a good transition and we began our two-and-a-half hour journey back to Deschapelles. It is exciting to see new people come in to Haiti. I get to play tour guide for a while and show them the ropes. These guys really fit in well and have done a great job in the Klinik and made some new friends in the process.

Some other exciting news was the education and testing that Brandon and I started in my first week culminated in all of the technicians (Tcho, Cira, Alix, and Joel) passing an exam to become recognized for their hard work. They were presented with certificates for Technicians I. I was so honored to be a part of this experience. As I presented them with their certificates I could see how proud they all were. This is very important here as certificates are not given out on a regular basis. It is not just a symbol of recognition; it truly means a great deal more. These guys certainly deserve this honor. Thank you all who have been a part of the Haiti Klinik. The technicians have learned a lot from you.

In the upcoming weeks I will continue to increase their knowledge base in fabrication skills and introduce some more formal classes. We will begin teaching general terms, anatomy, and improving casting skills to allow them to improve their clinical skills. They will learn to become practitioners and be able to practice patient care.