Ambulance For New Hope Hospital
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
ESPWA FOUNDATIONNew Hope Hospital launched Oct 27, 2016! An ambulance is critical for this community of 100,000.
$5,000
raised by 39 people
$16,000 goal
Return from January 2017 Trip
From January 4 - 8, 2017, I returned to Haiti and got to see the amazing progress of the New Hope Hospital in person. I spent many hours with Doc, discussing needs, talking over lunch, and attending an appreciation ceremony with the hospital staff. I am more convicted in my desire to fundraise for an ambulance and have decided to keep the campaign open for several more months.
One story that Doc shared will drive home the need for the ambulance. A woman came into the hospital with pain in her leg and foot and was diagnosed with gangrene. It was too far along and needed to be amputated. The hospital does not yet have the operating equipment it needs to perform surgery, so the only thing to be done was send her to another hospital in the neighboring region, nearly an hour away. Without a working ambulance or any other type of emergency vehicle, they were forced to send her on the only thing available - a motorcycle taxi. This woman's pain was exacerbated by every bump in Haiti's extremely sketchy roads as she hung on for dear life on the back of a motorcycle.
Let's make this ambulance happen so we can avoid these heartbreaking stories in the future!
In February 2015, I traveled to Haiti with the Espwa Foundation ("Espwa" means hope in Haitian Creole) and met one of the finest men in our world today, Dr. Eugene Maklin. Dr. Maklin has partnered with the Espwa Foundation for many years, hosting medical teams and serving in St. Anthony's Clinic weekly. Most recently, he's been leading the charge against cholera and other waterborne diseases in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.
The photo above is from my trip in 2015. I was introduced to Dr. Maklin's vision of an advanced hospital for a region of over 100,000 Haitians who have little to no access to medical care. In the many months since that photo, progress on the hospital has been an all-out effort by so many! With many supporters and employing Haitian labor and materials, the hospital now stands fully built, with a working chlorine water system and electricity. The interior ground and second floor are finished, and the hospital started accepting patients on October 27th, 2016 after its grand opening.
My own vision for this project is to provide Dr. Maklin with a working ambulance that can transport patients from anywhere in the sprawling geographic area to the New Hope Hospital. In the U.S., we take extreme comfort in being able to dial 911 and have an ambulance dispatched in minutes. Now that Dr. Maklin's hospital is a reality, I want to give the surrounding community that same sense of safety and security in the event of a medical emergency. Imagine how the quality of life of those residents will change overnight! Imagine how many lives will be saved!
When we shared this vision with Dr. Maklin, he wrote, "We need that ambulance for the hospital very badly. Many thanks in advance!" For those of you who know Dr. Maklin, you can just see the big smile and humility within those words.
In anticipation of my second trip to Haiti in January 2017, I started this fundraiser, but was unable to raise the needed funds to purchase the ambulance. I've decided to keep the fundraiser open for several more months in hopes of reaching this lofty goal. Your monetary support will make a profound impact! I have personally witnessed the work of the Espwa Foundation in Haiti and they are doing it the right way. Would you partner with us in this great endeavor?
For more information on the Espwa Foundation, or to inquire about a trip to Haiti, visit www.espwa.com. You can contact me with any questions about this fundraiser here. Many blessings!