I just got an update from the team that was in Haiti last week.   Here are some additional items we're needing for our upcoming trip on Friday.   Keep in mind that our group treats patients in our clinic, but we also send out teams to visit orphanages with disabled children in them.    The situation in these orphanages is pretty bleak and sometimes the simplest things are needed to help there.   Here are a few of the items we need:

• Pediatric Wheel Chairs
• Car Seats and/or Umbrella Strollers
• Materials to repair wheelchairs
• Water toys or floatation devices (one of the orphanages has a pool)
• Plastic toys
• Diapers (pampers or similar, all sizes)
• Childrens clothing- most clothing to fit 6-14 years old, pants/shorts with elastic waist probably would be best as the zippers tend to get broken or button fall off
  
• Foam for positioning of children

If anybody has any of these items, along with children's shoes (sturdy, slightly used shoes work best, and preferrably no laces), please contact me to arrange transfer of the donations before we leave on Friday.   It would be best if we can get everythying packed up on Thursday night.

Thanks again for your help.

Matt
mraymus@yahoo.com
661.885.2699

We leave for Haiti on Friday night.  We're taking the red-eye to Miami and Saturday morning we'll fly into Haiti.   We're getting excited, although we're still going to be looking for more donations of supplies and equipment this.     We're still looking for the items I discussed in my original blog.   I also hope that everybody got to see the article Louis Medina wrote about us on Sunday:

http://www.bakersfield.com/...

Matt

A lot of people have been asking me if it's safe to go to Haiti, particularly with all the warnings on the internet.     See the US Embassy warnings:  http://travel.state.gov/tra...

I've been going to Haiti almost every year for the past 8 years.   There have been manifestations or protests when I'm there almost every time.   I have never felt in danger, nor have I even had any close calls.    This is partly because the warnings and discussions on the net are exaggerated, and partly because of the organization I'm involved with.   When we go to Haiti, we follow the rules of Healing Hands for Haiti.   They have people on the ground and know where the trouble spots are and help us avoid them.   If the situation ever arose that the streets were too dangerous, Healing Hands would have us stay in the compound where we are secure and safe.    Last year we were there during the elections.    We spend Monday and Tuesday in the compound doing things like painting apartments and organizing equipment for the clinic because right outside there were road blocks or "blockus" as they call them there.     See the photo from last year's demonstration.    Wednesday we were finally able to get out and help the orphanages we were there to help.   It made for an exciting trip, although trying at times because we were all there to help the orphanages and the many people who wanted to come to the clinic for treatment.     It was still a fantastic trip and we look forward to going back again this year.   

With that in mind, I plan on doing a blog while I'm actually in Haiti, letting everybody know how things are going while I'm there.     If anybody has questions about Haiti or our experiences there, let me know.   Also, please feel free to visit our website, www.healinghandsforhaiti.org.    I'm the volunteer webmaster in addition to doing translation.   I don't design the website, just maintain it.     If anybody is interested in going to Haiti with us, 3 years ago I organized a team from Bakersfield.   We took a prosthetist, an occupational therapist,  a housewife, a teacher,a  student, a real estate agent, and a number of others.    You don't have to speak Creole or be in the rehab industry to go and help.     An average trip costs around $1500 including airfare, and we try to get donations of supplies and materials to take with us.    It's a fantastic trip, as I'm sure anybody would tell you who has been.

Anyway, let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in this blog.  

Matt   

My name is Matt Ray and I'm a long time resident of Bakersfield.   I've been involved on a volunteer basis with a group called Healing Hands for Haiti Foundation since around 1998 and have gone, almost on a yearly basis to help that organization as a translator.    I speak Haitian Creole, which is a french dialect, and is very close to the Creole spoken in New Orleans.

We're going to Haiti again this year, leaving on February 2nd.   While there, I'll translate for the different rehab specialists as they work with Haitian patients as well as in the orphanages that we visit.   We tend to focus on those orphanages that have handicapped children and other special needs. 

With that in mind, I'm making a request for donations of physical rehab supplies to take down with us.   There are 2 of us going from Bakersfield.   Myself and Courtney Mahar, a new resident to Bakersfield, but she she has been to Haiti with us once before, last February.    Courtney is a Physical Therapist Assistant or PTA for Glinn & Giordano.

The donations we're looking for are:

• Wheelchairs of all sizes (pediatric, adult, etc.)
• Canes for walking
• Pediatric seating (cushions and backs - this is especially important for the orphanages where often the children will simply lie on the ground on a mat, with no support)
• High density (hard) foam - smaller pieces for custom seating
• Good quality and/or memory foam that is big enough to make wheelchair cushions.
  
• Elastic ankle and wrist supports of all sizes

We're usually allowed to take 2 bins each down with us (wheel chairs take the place of bins) that are 50lbs or less.   

You may be wondering why I'm waiting until now to ask for donations.    We've asked earlier in the past and we end up having space issues for storing the items.   So, I guess if someone has some storage space they'd like to donate, we'd use that to collect donations all year round.

We also have a school reintegration program, where we're sponsoring students, particularly handicapped students, and helping them to go to school.   Unfortunately, Haiti is a little behind the times in their concepts about the handicapped.   They tend to be 2ndary citizens in a 3rd world country.    If you'd be interested in donating money for the school reintegration program, these are the things we're going to buy once we're in Haiti (note, when we can, we try to invest in Haiti's economy rather than taking everything with us.  Haiti needs all the help it can get.  Simple supplies can be purchased there, even though we take specialty items like wheelchairs with us):

• sponsors (students are sponsored for school)
• exercise books
• school books (eg copying, math problems etc)
• rulers
• pencils
• book bags

If you want to make dollar contributions to purchase supplies, please make your checks out to Healing Hands for Haiti Foundation and send them to my address, 8201 Camino Media, Suite 166, Bakersfield, CA 93311.   For more information about Healing Hands, please visit their website, http://www.healinghandsforh....    I can be reached for more information by calling 661.885.2699.   Healing Hands for Haiti is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your donation may be tax deductible.   Check with your accountant.

If you think of someone else who should see this, or who might be interested in being involved, please pass this blog on to them.

Mesi davans!   Kimbe la.

Matt 

Volunteer Webmaster/Translator
Healing Hands for Haiti Foundation
mraymus@yahoo.com
661.885.2699 - phone
661.885.4441 - fax
AIM ID: mateoray
SkypeID, MSN & Yahoo!: mraymus
http://www.healinghandsforh...