Welcome to my first blog! I’m starting this blog knowing that the
year ahead of me will be full of significant, emotional experiences, and that
my friends and family will require regular updates as such. Indeed, I will be
spending the next year or so in Hinche, Haiti.
I'll be working for Midwives for Haiti, a non-profit organization centered in Hinche (and coordinated in Virginia, as well) whose main goal is to decrease infant and birth-related maternal mortality rates. A few of the major projects include education of both midwives and skilled birth attendants, and education and treatment of pre- and post-partum mothers in remote regions of Haiti. I will be their In-Country Coordinator, mostly helping to coordinate the volunteers who visit the house in Hinche, but dealing with whatever is happening at that moment. Apparently my job description is upwards of eight pages, so I'm sure I'll be quite busy! For more information and pictures, visit the website (link above) or the facebook page.
Now, to answer some FAQs:
1. What is your mailing address? Well, I don't have one. Haiti doesn't have infrastructure, so naturally they don't have FedEx. Keep in touch with me via email (britttany013@gmail.com), facebook, or this blog. If you really need or would like to send me something small, please contact me first and we can arrange for a volunteer to bring it down in her suitcase.
2. Will you ever come home? I'm pretty sure I can come home for a few weeks during winter break, a week of which will be spent on a family vacation. I don't have a ticket home yet, but I'll have a better idea in a few months.
3. Are you scared? Nope. I love to travel and I've been preparing for so long that I can't wait to fly out! Life in the US is too complicated and after four years at Johns Hopkins, I'm ready for a completely different part of life.
4. Where will you stay? I'll be staying in my own room of the Midwives for Haiti (MFH) house, where classes are taught and volunteers stay. Here's a picture that I stole from the MFH website:
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| You can't see it, but there is a ton of greenery in front and out back! The house is protected by a massive concrete wall with razor wire at the top, as well as Haitian security guards. |
5. What will you eat? Well, whatever they cook for me. Likely, my regular meals will include beans, rice, vegetables, corn meal, etc. Haiti has over 200 varieties of mango so I'm hoping the mango lady will come by often!
6. Will you be safe? Though Haiti isn't the safest of countries, not once while I was there in January did I feel unsafe. I'll be working with Haitians all day long - and I speak French and soon will speak Creole - so I'm not worried. Further, I'll be out in the countryside -- not in Port-Au-Prince, where things are much more chaotic.
7. Will you have electricity/internet/a cell phone? The house has a generator, which works most of the time (public electricity is unpredictable and intermittent). The house has wireless internet, which I predict will be slow and weather-dependent. Nevertheless, keeping up with the website, facebook, and blogs is part of my job, so I will have sufficient internet access. I plan to deactivate my US cell phone while I'm there, but use the internet features of it (snapchat, iMessage, etc.), and will have a Haitian pre-paid phone to use in the country and for emergencies. In other words, Skype me!
8. How can I donate? Even if you're not wondering this, I'm going to answer it anyway. Midwives for Haiti is always accepting donations -- especially around Mothers' Day -- so if you would like to donate to the organization, click here or go to the organization's website and click "donate" on the right in pink. Donations go directly to the work in Haiti, to pay for things like supplies, educational materials, and more.
This concludes my first post, but I may amend it as I think of more to include. Feel free to leave comments and questions for me to respond to, and expect the blog to morph as I prepare for my June 8th departure. Coming up soon will be a photo summary of my January trip with my mom. Thanks for reading, and I'll leave you with a baby goat I found in Pandiassou.
