Sion Fonds has a planned upcoming medical expedition from April 21 through April 27, 2010. Our team will consist of medical professionals and lay people. We will again be working at Centre Medical Emmanuel clinic for a portion of our stay, following that we will be setting up mobile clinics at our schools in Lavanuea, Masson, and Cavaillon. We will also have a mobile clinic in Belle Anse, where we have 100's of sponsored students.Our clinic will be treating the usual acute illnesses, in addition to complications from injuries incurred at the time of the earthquake, as well mental trauma from the stress. Education is also large part of our work; we offer dental hygiene presentations, wound care, and assistance to rural midwives. The situation in Haiti is always difficult. In the extreme poverty of the country, healthcare needs are frequently unmet. With the current state of emergency, the situation has become even more dire, a tragic complication of total devastation in Haiti that has effected even the rural areas.

We are still in need of team members, including doctors, dentists, nurses, lay people, and mental health professionals. We are in need of supplies, and funds to buy medicines. Additionally, we are looking for assistance with flights into Haiti, either private or commercial. We continue to rely on the generosity of businesses and individuals to do this important work, and to save lives.

If you are able to volunteer, or would like to help in any way, please contact Annie

ablackstone@sionfonds.org

Annie Blackstone
PO Box 79
Canyon, CA USA 
94516 

(510) 301-0705

Belle Anse is in the southeastern corner of Haiti. To get there we will travel from Port au Prince to Jacmel and then turn East to reach the remote village of Belle Anse. It is on the edge of the beautiful Caribbean ocean. There is no electricity or industry in Belle Anse most people are cultivators or fishermen there are no government services or healthcare available to the people of the district.

Through the generous support of our sponsors and Guesno Mardy, Siofonds has been sending children of the region to school for the past three school years. People have asked why, with most of Haiti living in extreme poverty do we travel all the way to Belle Anse to find people in need? It is precisely because no one else has. There is no other humanitarian aid or government aid available to the people of Belle Anse, or the other communities Sionfonds works in. They have no one at all to assist them.

g One of our original goals in creating Sionfonds was to make healthcare available to those who had none. This spring we will bring a team of medical professionals, to Belle Anse for the first time. The conditions for 3~the team will primitive there are no hotels or restaurants we will be ‘camping out’ and bringing our own food and someone to cook it for us. The conditions for treating people, will also be primitive, we will bring a generator and our own equipment. Thanks to a generous gift from the donors of The Lantern Projects, we will buy medications prepackaged for this type of medical trip form MAP International.

The Medical team will be made up of Dentists, Doctors, Nurses, health educators and lay people. We will also a have a team of Haitian translators, social workers and community members working at the site even before we arrive.

g Our focus will not only be assessing and treating medical and dental issues, but also education and community outreach. We will offer classes in first aid, prenatal care, family planning and nutrition. Arron Jacksons organization Planting Peace, that has supplied de-worming pills to thousands of Haitian children, has promised us 4000 pills for the people of Belle Anse. This is crucially important in an area where hunger is a daily reality, it is estimated that 20% of a persons intake of nutrition is consumed by parasites.

We will keep “Star-Fish story� in mind. Essentially it is that we cannot help every one but we can help some, and the world will be a better place for it.

If you are interested in joining the Medical Team please fill out the volunteer form on the www.sionfonds.org website

The deadline for joining is February 10^th2008

Links for more information:

www.foyerdesion.org

For a good map of Haiti www.travelinghaiti.com/map.asp

www.map.org

www.helpinghands.org

Link to U.S. travel advisory

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1134.html

U.S. state department

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1982.htm

Video

MSNBC news clip

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20399594

You tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFvKWCDNNWE

Medical supplies needed for April 2008 Medical Trip to Belle Anse

About donations; all medical supplies will be taken as luggage on the July trip. However we do participate in sending a container shipment to Haiti once a year. Our goal is to create a clinic in Belle Anse, we will need furniture and medical instruments and supplies. Please keep this in mind. The next container shipment should happen in the summer of 2008.

April 2007 Medical trip serve 4000 people and build a clinic

Generator $400 (would also be used for sewing project) we need funds to buy in Haiti

Exam table

Supplies Blood pressure cuff

Digital thermometers

Stethoscope

Gloves

Otoscope

Scales

4x4 dressing

Educational supplies for first aid, family planning, prenatal, classes

Medicines

Medical supplies for 500 to 700 people discounted price $400 form www.map.org

Hydrocortisone cream

Hydrogen peroxide

Children’s Vitamin’s

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes

Band-aids

Gauze medical tape

Anti fungal medications ( lamisil)

Monistat for yeast infections

Scabies lotion

Latex gloves

Triple anti biotic crème

Anti diarrhea medication

Eardrops

Eye ointment

Benedryl/Dimetap

Cough syrup

Tylenol/ ibuprofen

Fever/Pain relievers

sutures

zip lock bags

pedialyte

re-hydration mixes.

anything else you think would be useful