Helping Babies in Haiti

“I really did not think she would live, but she did.”

Berline, born January 2018, was a patient at Real Hope for Haiti for 20 weeks. Licia Betor, director of the rescue center at the nonprofit, said the toddler was “very ill” when admitted to their center. 

“She had a lot of open wounds due to the malnutrition that were very painful,” Licia said. Berline weighed 18 pounds when admitted; at her lowest weight, Berline dropped to just 13 pounds. 

Berline’s mother died just weeks after she was born; her mother and father were not together at the time of the child’s birth. Berline’s mother’s family was upset that she was pregnant young and then died, and inevitably took Berline to her dad when she was just a few months old for him to care for her.

Berline had started at Real Hope for Haiti when she was just one month old, Licia said. Her father would come each month to get infant formula and she maintained a healthy weight for some time. When she was 8 months old, Berline’s father brought her to his parents house to be raised; but, he stopped returning for the monthly formula.

Berline began losing weight and started showing signs of kwashiorkor, a form of severe malnutrition which caused edema in her body.  

“It is a very difficult form of malnutrition to heal from,” Licia said. “She did not smile for a long time. She was in lots of pain and suffered much. When she began to heal, she enjoyed playing with the toys hanging in her bed. Then she began to let the nannies hold her more. … It took her weeks to even be able to sit up again on her own. Then she was able to stand with assistance. Next, she was walking on her own.  I think that was a very happy time for her to know she could walk again and begin to play.”

Real Hope for Haiti is one of Jake’s Diapers Diaper Drop partners, and our support allowed RHFH to better care for Berline.

“During her stay here, she was able to wear the diapers that were provided to us from Jakes diapers. These were helpful when she was sick to be able to contain her diarrhea for the staff,” Licia said. “ Having a nice clean diaper for the children is important for the nannies and the child as well.  Most children do not wear diapers in the village unless going to church, the doctor or someplace else besides their home.”

Berline regained her health and weight, clocking 22 pounds at the end of her stay in the rescue center.

Links:

• Jake's Diapers Website
• Facebook

I'm writing to share with you a letter from Casey at Real Hope for Haiti. Over the past seven years, thanks to you, we've been able to supply Real Hope with cloth diapers for the babies in the Rescue Center and for families Real Hope for Haiti receiving pre & post natal care. With diaper need met by you, they are able to focus on other basic needs and providing life-saving care. 

COVID-19 is a top concern for our communities, our countries, and the entire world. Whether you are in Haiti or the US or any other country in the world, there is uncertainty all around us. Typically, we make an appeal to you when we face a crisis here in Haiti, whether it be famine, flood, earthquake, or cholera. This is a unique time where we all face this test, no matter which passport we hold or which economic class we are in.

We are all distracted by the news and tracking these developments. Each of us is navigating changes in work and worship day by day. In just a short time, “the norm” has become a seemingly distant memory, and none of us know if and when this -new normal- will end.

We do know our work in Haiti should continue. We do know that our staff is committed to providing life saving care and critical education/ support to some of the most underserved people in one of the most underserved populations in the world. We know our patients need medicines, the malnourished children in the RC need medika mamba and food  to recover. We know we need to maintain our payroll to ensure these services are provided by the competent and caring staff at RHFH.

The services we provide have expanded over the years. We maintain as low of an overhead cost as we know how, and we find each service we provide to be essential. As is the case in most organizations that work in a context like Haiti, the margins are very thin for us. We are not sitting on an endowment that can float us during this pandemic. The population we serve cannot afford to pay for the majority of the services we provide. The fruit that RHFH bears for the kingdom of God relies on the power of God, the sweat of our staff, and the generosity of people like you.

We also know many of you understand the impact your gifts have in saving and sustaining lives in Cazale and surrounding villages. We appreciate the fact that many of you already give sacrificially to sustain the work of RHFH. We realize times are tough. We acknowledge that some of you have lost your jobs recently, other’s employment situations are tenuous at best. We are aware many retirement funds have taken massive blows. We understand absolutely if you are unable to give at this time. We are thankful for all you have done for the Haitian people. We would like the opportunity to pray for and encourage you, as you have so often done for us. (Email prayer requests to prayer@realhopeforhaiti.org)

We are grateful for each prayer and each donation you make to this work to which we dedicate our lives. We feel you believe in the work RHFH does, we believe in the work RHFH does, and we all believe in a God who is capable to make a way where there does not seem to be a way. We put our faith, trust, and hope in Him and in Him alone. We care confident that, for you and for our patients and for us, God will supply all of our needs according to the riches of His Glory in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If you feel so led and you are able to do so, we could use your support now to enable us to keep providing diapers and other basic needs to Real Hope for Haiti. 

Thank you for all you do. 

 ~ Stephanie