Network visit to Danda

Last week we took the opportunity to visit the village of Danda when Dr Steve James and his team of 2 US nurses and 1 other US doctor ran an expanded clinic at the Dispensary.
Pastor Etienne is the clinic administrator, and also runs the school and church. It was great for me to see him in his own community, after meeting him many times in Cap to provide him with cholera and general medical supplies. He is a defiant advocate for the village and it is clear to see how his efforts have benefited the community.
He explained that many people walk up to an hour to Danda to access the church, clinic and school. Danda itself only has a population of 6000, the Church serves over 300 people, and the school has 400 pupils.The clinic was the bustling centre of town, with many people congregating outside. With the large waiting room full, the team had a busy afternoon. At lunchtime I was shown the school, where the children were eagerly tucking into their huge bowls of PAM (World Food Program) rice and beans. Despite their excitement to eat, with each classroom we walked into they all immediately hid their bowls under the table, stood up and greeted me with beaming smiles and a 'bonjou mis'.
Their water situation has recently been improved with the provision of bucket water filters from Haiti Hospital Appeal, which were swarmed with children, each trying to be the first to get a fresh cup of water. This is the only means the community have to access purified water: most people still rely on the 2 hand pumps to give them the water they need to drink and eat with, hoping with every mouthful that it doesn't make them sick.

It was clear to see what an asset Pastor Etienne is to this community: without him the children would not be eating at school and no one would have access to clean water or healthcare. However, there is lot of room for improvement. Currently, there is no full time doctor at the clinic - they depend on Medical Missionaries such as Dr James to help when they can. Pastor Etienne would also like to enable free and easy access to clean water for the whole community, and to ensure everyone is well educated on basic hygiene and cholera prevention methods.
It was a pleasure to see such a bustling and vibrant community in action, and to see that when linked to the appropriate organisations, rural communities such as Danda can have access to food, clean water and healthcare: our basic human rights.

Hannah Steadman
Cap Haitien Health Network
34411546
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