Greetings to all. I am posting this message on behalf of Father Tom
Streit of the Hopital Ste. Croix - Notre Dame Filariasis Program.

Katie

Dear Friends of Hopital Ste. Croix:

Some of you may remember me, I have been working on and off at HSC
for a decade, mostly on researching, and now, eliminating lymphatic
filariasis. During these years, I have spent probably about 8 of
those years in Leogane. I have had the opportunity to see up close
the challenges and opportunities that this mission hospital work
offers to all of us; visitors and "full timers" alike.

Today, I would like to share with you what I consider to be the
urgent need to support our full time folks; members—no—I should say
the leaders—of our team of those working on the common mission at
HSC.

Haiti today is in a state of flux. None of us expected that a year
after the introduction of multinational military forces the
insecurity of the country would be worse than it was a year ago.
Perhaps there are better days ahead; but I think few of us could
have imagined that things would get worse with the US, France, and
now the UN forces in place! But this is the current reality.

Our Filariasis Program and of course Cathy Dorvil of the Nutrition
Program at HSC have both been deeply affected by the loss of Joseph
Dorvil to the senseless violence and crime in the country. Joseph
chose to stay in Haiti when many of his colleagues chose to leave.
Therefore, much to our dismay, he was violently forced to make the
ultimate sacrifice for a mission he believed in; staying in Haiti to
better the health of his compatriots. None of us could foresee
this, of course, least of all Cathy or Joseph's Haitian colleagues—
but this sort of sacrifice is one to which all of our full time
colleagues at HSC are exposed—like it or not—and is the potential
price for staying here in country while the violence and crime
continue.

Consequently, I find that it is now both a practical and moral
necessity to make EVERY effort to support particularly our
professional colleagues working in Haiti; those who are committing
the most productive years of their professional lives to their own
people when in fact they have other, attractive options.

With the majority of their Haitian colleagues having long ago left
for greater safety and better financial opportunities (and the
current rush of yet more leaving the current terror), how can we
continue to expect our professional colleagues to stay? Will our
every effort to support and sustain them be of help? I do not know,
but I am convinced we must try if we want the mission to succeed.

Will our "part time" efforts ever really be enough to produce a
lasting change in the overall health of Haiti's people without the
middle class Haitian professionals left to sustain the effort
between our visits? I doubt it.

These are questions no doubt some of you have asked over the years…
but I tell you that now is the critical moment we MUST support our
Haitian professional colleagues who wish to remain in service of
their people. Of this much I am certain; we cannot function in our
collective mission without them; the poor of Haiti will sink into
deeper despair without the indefatigable attentions of our
professional Haitian colleagues.

How can we be of support?

I have been thinking a lot about this, and brainstorming to find
funding to better support our colleagues. Their own personal,
internal, spiritual motivation will always be the key. So our
prayerful and friendly support and continual contact with visits
will doubtless be of help. But there are many ways to help beyond
this… Can we help find a pension program so the most productive
years of those Haitian professionals who decide to stay in Haiti can
yield some benefits they can expect to enjoy in retirement? Ought
we at least find ways to enroll them in programs which will provide
them with reasonable health insurance for treatment in the developed
world should major illness befall them or their family? What about
life insurance / death benefits (unfortunately something we've been
thinking about lately in the wake of Joseph's tragedy). Please feel
free to join me in a dialogue on these and other ideas. Feel free
to comment.

More practically, following the theft of yet another hospital
vehicle in Port-au-Prince a month ago, the shortage of
transportation is critical. In order to continue to execute HSC
programs and activities, this vehicle needs to be replaced. The
vehicle in question was used mostly by our Director General Dr. Jack
Lafontant—and I have to say he never once over the last five years
asked my institution for a penny of support for that vehicle or its
operating costs—despite the fact that he frequently conducted
business in support of our now nationwide filariasis program from
that car.

Without just yet thinking about the practicalities of how exactly to
funnel any money collected to help replace this car, may I issue a
challenge to you and your church to help HSC in this regard? The
Univ of Notre Dame today pledges US$1,500 toward replacement of that
vehicle. And I challenge 23 churches or individuals within the HSC
support network to do likewise—this will provide us with enough
commitments to allow the hospital to immediately replace the stolen
vehicle (24 x US1,500=$36,000). The insurance money on the car will
no doubt be inadequate and much delayed, and waiting for to purchase
another vehicle tax-free could take from 2 to 6 months. Dr.
Lafontant refused to pay a ransom for the car, although one was
demanded by the violent chimeres who stole it at gunpoint. I
believe we need to support this need and Dr. Jack's moral stance
ASAP. Please, again, if we can receive 23 additional commitments of
US$1,500 (certainly not too much for a church community to commit),
we will be able then to support HSC by contributing toward
replacement of the lost vehicle.

Just this morning (the 1st Sunday of Lent in my faith) we were
considering in the scriptures the attempts of evil both in Eden and
in the desert to tempt humans. We know Adam and Eve in the
luxurious garden responded differently than Christ did in the
desert. If we wish to continue to support the mission of granting
better health to Haitians, how can we respond to the power of evil
that is felt particularly in Haiti this season before Easter? When
will Haiti's resurrection come? How will we be part of it? Even in
the desert, people will respond as Christ did…but they will still
need some bread to live on! I was thinking about these things at
Holy Family Chapel in Belloc, just south of Leogane during Mass this
morning. While I was contemplating, I noticed out of the corner of
my eye that the chapel usher had a "new" and unusual collection
bag. It was an oversized, really big plastic hand with a lime green
bag extending from a "hole" in the palm of the hand, on below the
outstretched hand. On the bag was written "Trick or Treat." I had
to laugh! Indeed, in Haiti, today, I guess I'll plead guilty to
asking you to join me in supporting an emergency need at Hopital
Ste. Croix—to sticking that big hand out in front of you who have
already been so generous with time and support over the years; but
the TRICK that will follow if we do not ramp up our efforts to
support our professional colleagues and their most basic
requirements to operate in Haiti—that trick is a future without
physicians, without administrators and other highly educated
Haitians; something that is indeed more tricky than treat to
contemplate!

I thank you for your consideration of this matter, and welcome
ideas / comments.

Cordial regards,

Tom Streit, CSC