The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti on Jan. 12 left the country in absolute turmoil. But compared with other countries in the Western Hemisphere, it was already in turmoil.
According to the 2009 Human Development Report from the United Nations, 42 percent of people in Haiti do not use an improved water source, and almost 40 percent of Haitians 15 and older are illiterate.
This is a vast difference from the Dominican Republic, a country on the same island as Haiti. Just across the Rio Masacre, only 5 percent of its people drink from an unimproved water source. The illiteracy rate is 11 percent, a sharp contrast to the high percentage in Haiti.
Two Muncie women have seen this disparity for 12 years. Each year, Connie Baldwin and Lee Ann Mengelt travel with a mission group from St. Francis of Assisi Parish to Plaisance, Haiti, to give medical care to those in need.
The group flew into the Dominican Republic and took a bus into Haiti. For Baldwin, seeing the contrast was a sobering experience.
"It's very civilized in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti they have next to nothing," she said. "It can be very upsetting for us, especially when, geographically, they are so close to the United States."
They returned from their most recent trip Jan. 25. Plaisance is a town comparable to Muncie in size, but has no running water, electricity or sewage.
There is one health clinic in the area, which is run by nuns. However, this clinic is government-owned and, as a result, they must charge patients for the health care they receive, even though many do not have the means to pay.
Mengelt explained the establishment of the free clinic allows more people to receive medical treatment when they are not there.
"We have sent nurses to school [and] developed a clinic out in one of the villages that is free," she said. "They have a doctor that goes out once a week, we have three full-time nurses and they also pack their equipment and medications up and go out into villages."
Baldwin, a registered nurse who has gone on six mission trips to Haiti, said three doctors, two nurses, a physical therapist and two co-directors go on each trip, and this time they treated fewer people.
"We used to see over 200 patients a day, but now we try to get to the sickest people, so we probably saw 100 or less a day," she said.
Since Haiti is so poverty-stricken, some of the sicknesses they treat are rather archaic.
"We still see leprosy. We see malaria and typhoid. We have seen a case of polio. Those things should not be happening in this hemisphere," Mengelt said.
Several projects are in the works to help improve the quality of life in the Plaisance area. Most importantly is the development of a well, which would provide clean water for village residents. Mengelt explained that clean water would help reduce a number of the diseases they see.
St. Francis sends mission groups to Haiti throughout the year. A group of students will travel there over Spring Break, bringing more medical supplies and support to the village.
For more information about how to help with the mission trips or to attend a trip, contact Lee Ann Mengelt at lamengelt@yahoo.com.medical
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
