Dear Ones, it has been such a difficult time in Haiti lately, and things are looking a bit bleak.  As many of you probably know, Haiti is currently facing great challenges, both politically and economically. Inflation has risen to almost 20% now, and there is a serious fuel shortage, which has ground the country to a halt.  Food prices are skyrocketing, and it is hitting everyone hard.  And of course, when people are stretched so thin money-wise, it is easy for the scales to tip over into violence.  Vicious protests have marked the past  few weeks, although it is better in Hinche than in Port Au Prince. 

So what does this mean for Midwives for Haiti? Our work, of course continues, despite suboptimal circumstances.  Our costs, like everyone else’s, have risen dramatically, and we have sadly cancelled some upcoming volunteer trips in the interest of safety. Our first priority, of course, is the security and well being of our staff, our students, and our fantastic volunteers.

Because we have no volunteers going down at the moment, we are missing the needed supplies they usually bring down.  We are trying to source them locally, and of course, even when available, this is an expensive option. And, lately, there have simply been no supplies to buy.  The hospital is out of oxygen and almost out of IV tubing.  We have almost no sutures, or iron tablets.  Women, who are always vulnerable in times of unrest, cannot get the care they deserve.  

Snuggles for Supplies:  A Quilt Raffle to Benefit Midwives for Haiti

First, we have received a beautiful handmade, queen sized quilt as a donation, and are holding an online raffle to raise funds.  It was made by a longtime friend of MFH, Chrissie Devinney, a public school librarian from Lincoln, VA, and I’m just in awe of her talent.

You can go to our Rally Up site here to join in the fun! 

https://go.rallyup.com/midwivesforhaiti

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Please share around your networks too, so as many people as possible have a chance to win.  Every time you snuggle in this gorgeous work of art, you can know that mothers and babies lives’ have been saved.

The lucky winner will be drawn on Halloween, so don’t wait!

Emergency Supply Drive

We are also holding an emergency supply drive on Amazon.  It can be found here:

The list is ordered by priority, and has gifts of all price points.  At this stage, EVERYTHING is so needed that you really can ‘t go wrong!  Your gifts will be sent to our headquarters in Richmond, and we will take it from there!

And did you know that if you sign up for Amazon Smile, and designate MFH as your charity, Amazon will send us a cash donation?  Its so easy, and its free money! 

More Ways to Help

There’s power in numbers!  Many of our supplies come from groups; organizing an emergency supply drive can be a great bonding experience for scout troops, religious organizations, neighborhood  associations and more. Medical practices have been so generous to us in the past.  If you are a practitioner, please consider sharing our needs with your colleagues and patients (especially if you happen to work with pregnant people!).  Simply gather the supplies and ship them to our Richmond headquarters.  Check in with our marvelous administrative expert Brett here for more information on this option:  info@midwivesforhaiti.org

If you have a Costco membership, over the counter medication can be a real steal.  Tucked away between the 10 pound cans of baked beans and the 105 packs of toilet paper, you can find quite inexpensive yet huge bottles of acetaminophen, Tums, and iron supplements. These ordinary supplements that we take for granted can be the difference between a healthy pregnancy and baby, and a poor outcome.  (Especially the iron!)  You can have them shipped directly to Richmond and we can send them down.

Of course, you can always donate directly on our website.  Its easy and quick, and your money goes directly to supplies right now.

www.midwivesforhaiti.org/donate

And finally, you can help us spread the word!  Invite your friends list to like our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share our posts in your network. 

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

And of course, chat us up at your real life social gatherings!

The Bright Side

As dark as these times can seem, there is always something to celebrate, and in this case it is the resiliency and professionalism of our staff on the ground.  They have been working tirelessly, attacking these problems from a place of creativity and love for our Haitian community. It is said that love is a verb, not a noun, and our staff are loving hard and fiercely under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. I could not be more proud to be working in this organization, with these people, especially in these challenging times. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for YOUR love and support.

With gratitude,

Jane
Executive Director