What's next?

For the first time in three weeks, I have some downtime. The last group from the University of Philadelphia finished up their classes and work in the hospital. The group leader had brought some head scarfs for all of the women as a thank you gift. We were able to find some nice shirts to give to the men. Though I had a great couple of weeks, I am thankful to have things slow down for a few days. A high school group arrives on Tuesday. I know I am going to need some energy for that group!

Genette instructing the Matrone Class.

In review, I had my first meeting with the hospital midwives on Friday. I acted on behalf of our Director, Nadene Brunk, in order to address her concerns and hear those of the staff. It wasn't your normal, "let's meet in the conference room" sort of deal. We met in the L&D room, with the women sitting on the counters and the occasional noises of a woman in labor in the background. 


Though I didn't think my first meeting was all that constructive, I hope to hear more of the midwives' wishes in the coming weeks. That is one thing I am realizing about these people. The women aren't accustomed to having their voices heard. 

After the weekly Matrone training. 

In addition to creating more supply lists, restocking hospital emergency kits, and running errands in town, I went goat shopping yesterday. I had a generous donation from a friend who wanted the money to go towards Haitian children. If you remember from my previous post, I talked about Flower of Hope Outreach School. Well, the goats are not only a teaching tool for the children, but they are also a means of food and income.

Compared to the rest, this guy is huge!

So, my friends Manno and Elficase took me to what appeared to be the goat and pig market. With the animals on leashes, people were bartering back and forth over sales. We were fortunate to get a great deal on the largest male there, as well as two females. Thank you for the donation! We were all very excited to have made the purchases. What's next?