Dr. Paul Farmer, the founder of Partners In Health (PIH) is the greatest NGO in Haiti in the past 20 years. Partners In Health is the only NGO in Haiti who understands what Haiti needs. The country needs teachers to educate the Haitians how to fish, rather than to provide fish for them. PIH has a petition out called Stand With Haiti, I urge my readers to sign it.
Dr. Paul Farmer is looked at with respect in Haiti. He is considered a “saint” for what he has done and continues to do. To get to know a little bit about Dr. Paul Farmer, feel free to read “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World” by Tracy Kidder. Here is why I respect the work of Dr. Farmer; I know him personally and we dined together. I was amazed with his fluency in the Haitian Creole language and his knowledge about my homeland Haiti. He knows more than I do about Haiti, this is wild. Dr. Paul Farmer turned down great job offer after his graduation from Harvard University. Instead, he moved to Haiti, married a Haitian native, and has devoted his life to Haiti’s health. Dr. Farmer is someone who walks the walk, he is actually working in the country among the people. I have great skepticism regarding 98% of the NGOs operating in Haiti now. This is not my voice speaking here; I was in Haiti January 27, 2010 and that was the message of the Haitian community. Haitians all over the country are still without basic necessities such as food and water. Here is what I know, PIH is the only NGO who has a clear picture of what Haiti needs. PIH started with one medical clinic in Haiti and now they have more than 10 clinics. The best part is they are under Haitian supervision. What Haiti needs is not more NGOs. Do not get me wrong there are a lot of groups who indeed do a great help, but what they lack is crucial. They are misleading the nations by providing for them, instead of teaching how to be independent. Haiti needs NGOs who care to train the people of the country. The only way that Dr. Paul Farmer can spend six months overseas and six months in Haiti is because he trained the Haitians on how to take care of themselves. Haiti already has more NGOs than any other country in the western hemisphere. Have we ever wondered why? Keep following up, but voice your opinion why first!I am from Haiti, and I am a wedding and fashion photographer base in the Philadelphia area. I want to challenge myself to use my gift and talents as a way to raise awareness for my country and things that I believe in. The journey of rebuilding Haiti, going to be a long one. Remember, this the hope of Haitians is alive more than ever before.

“There is no us and them. There is only we”

03/02/2010

Journalist Lisa Armstrong of the Pulitzer Center recently blogged about a memorable service she attended at the Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante medical facility in Cange. Read an excerpt below.

What sets PIH apart from many other organizations is the sense of solidarity with the community, which was evident when [PIH Medical Director Dr. Joia Mukherjee] and [PIH co-founder] Dr. Paul Farmer spoke at a church in Cange, a village two hours outside of Port-au-Prince, where Paul and Ophelia Dahl founded Zanmi Lasante in 1985. The service was held in a clinic waiting room, because the church itself was being used as a ward for those with shattered bones and unsalvageable limbs.

Watch part of of the Cange service below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pv65jxfRkI&feature=player_embedded

It seems odd to be so impressed by the fact that these doctors, and all the PIH staff we met, care so deeply for the people they serve because, after all, isn’t that what doctors are supposed to do? But watching the PIH medical staff at the mobile clinics, at the general hospital, I was struck by their level of concern, by the fact that seeing patients was not simply about dispensing advice and medication. The doctors were engaged; they hugged, and laughed, and, most importantly, they listened. As Joia said to me one day, “This is not work, this is my life. It is not about us imparting our wisdom to the masses. If I am listening to you, and you are telling me something, you are teaching me something, there is an exchange. And that’s where you have solidarity rather than charity.” There is often a distinction between doctor and patient, and that separation can only become more apparent when the doctor is American and privileged, and the patient is Haitian and poor. But for these doctors, there is no us and them. There is only we.

Thanks to Journalist Lisa Armstrong.

I found this article very fascinating and speak a lot of truth on what is going in Haiti. Stories like these are common in Haiti, feel free to voice your opinion. http://quixote.org/blog/haitis-excluded I am planning on going to Anse-Rouge sometimes in May or July, I’ll do my best to see if I can get an interview with Ruth Derilus.Cell: 610-818-5016      Email: toussaintphotography@gmail.com