Off to the Clinic in Pillette

by Megan Cavanaugh

February 15

We are up about 6am to shower and get ready for the day. I am not a morning person, but I'm too excited about working today to be even remotely grumpy about the early wake up call.

We listen on the porch to the call of strange birds and the declaration of morning by all the town roosters. It rained all night and while it was like a gentle lullaby- no need for a sound machine here- we are thinking about Port au Prince and the people in fields without sanitation and praying there has been no significant rain there. The fields will become puddles. But we all know the rain will come sometime. I hope they are moving faster at handing out good tents to people and digging latrines.

Today we will go in groups in Father Dorcin's jeep up and around the mountain to reach the spot where we plan to do our clinic today. We will use an empty clinic building there- it was built and then never put to use. We are hoping to change that. Mary Lou is dreaming big of a chain of primary care clinics here in the very rural and impoverished sections of northern Haiti. And the people really need them. Especially now that their population is overgrown to accommodate so many displaced family members and refugees.

We will go in two trips to the site because all the rain last night will make the roads very muddy, the rivers swollen. It's better to not have the car loaded down too much. We are all excited to begin the day. Eat breakfast of FRESH bananas and papayas and spicy peanut butter on toast.

7:29am
Megan