My Haiti Experience

Haiti is a place I’ve always wanted to visit and when the opportunity came for me to go with the Ruach City Church missions team I took it. Since the devastation in January 2010, the people of Haiti are still suffering and lacking in basic things such as food, medical supplies and education.

The team was 32-strong with people from all walks of life. The aim was for the ladies in the team to be part of a medical clinic and for the guys to assist in building a school that Ruach City Church is building on the mountain top in the Petite Riviere area.

As I was going to be involved in the medical side of the trip I wanted to understand the logistics, so that Tebbs SC can run something similar at some time in the near future in Sierra Leone where it’s so needed.

Our training and preparation for the October 2012 trip lasted over 10 weeks and included a camping trip. During the training evenings, there were several speakers who came to prepare and equip us with the tools we would need for the trip. For my own preparation for my role in the medical team, I found a six week internship at a local dental surgery near my home.

Our Trip

Our trip was very eventful, being a part of a medical team was hard work but also very fulfilling. Working as a dental assistant in a country where I don’t understand the language was very daunting at first, but as time went on I settled into the role.

Alongside the dental clinic we also ran an eye clinic, children’s clinic, women’s clinic and a general clinic. At the end of the five-day clinic we had seen over 1500 patients in total and delivered a baby.

By the end of the two week trip, the school had been built and it’s doors were opened to the first 150 students.

The Debrief

We had a day-long debriefing session a week after the trip on how we felt the trip went. It was an opportunity to reunite with our fellow team mates and to voice our opinions on the trip, whether good or bad.

Tebbs SC Link

The main vision of Tebbs SC has always been to help people living in poor communities who are less fortunate. I saw this opportunity to be a part of the missions team medical clinic as a useful learning curve for the future of Tebbs SC and hopefully in the near future Tebbs SC will run a similar trip to Sierra Leone.

Blogs

To find out more about my Haiti trip and all the preparation involved, you can click on the Blog.