Irene had told me of a group of Americans who come three times a year to have a dental clinic in Hinche. Since we are trying to get our dental clinic off the ground, a visit seemed in order. Today is the day that Colleen returns to the US. I will miss her; she certainly brightened my world and those of the people around her as well. I hitched a ride with Fr. KK and her and they dropped me at Maison Fortune orphanage. The orphanage's founder, Jean Louis, gratiously drove me to the site, next door to the Caritas office. I beheld a large room with 8 dental chairs, all full.
Three dentists, three hygienists and a oral surgeon were all working on patients. I chatted briefly with Dr. Tim Brown who leads the group.
We chatted briefly and exchanged information. They are a non-denominational group from Wisconsin; they have taken a different approach. They bring down Americans to do these dental clinics, but thus far, they are not working with Haitian dentists. He told me of their concerns:
- Tools and supplies will walk off.
- Haitian dentists do not perform to their standards.
- We have no way to pay their salaries.
These are all legitimate concerns, but it seems to me that the end goal is to have Haitians treating Haitians year round. Now it remains to be seems how our dental clinic in Cerca Carvajal will work out. Our main problem at the moment is to find a funding stream for it. But at least we have a contact who might be able to recommend, or find equipment for our lab!
Glad you were able to get there for a visit and make some contacts for your future work. Looks like you are getting more and more comfortable with life in Haiti finding ways to be resourceful in getting where you need to go to see the people you need to advance your cause, very impressive.
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