HAS Alumni

Europe

The European Alumni created a beautiful space for the 6th HAS Haiti Alumni Reunion at a retreat centre overlooking the lovely Lake Lucerne, and near the historic site where the Swiss Confederation was created. Approximately 80 people participated, hosted by Elvira and Daniel Thuring and Dorothee and Jacques Wacker, and a local committee. Attending from the US were Dr. Monique Garrity, Dr. John and Anne Marie Judson, Bill and Irene Dunn, Dr. Marvin and Cyndy Kim, and Marlene Goodfriend; from Haiti, Dr. Venkita and Raji Suresh, Dr. Chandon Chattopadhyay, Dr. Hesley Olibruce, Dr. Keith and Jan Flanagan; and locally Dr. Rolf and Raphaela Maibach, and Dr. Rolf and Gabi Zurbrugg.

Elvira and Daniel welcomed the group, and Chandon showed a very moving video by Medicus Mundi about the connection between poverty and health in Haiti : Hesley Olibruce led a spirited discussion about the implications of this for HAS and its programs. The week before, Hesley, Chandon, and Zurbrugg had presented a panel on HAS at the Swiss Pediatrics convention.

The formal sessions of the Reunion featured a presentation by Suresh on the restructuring strategies and results to date, and a series of short presentations about the redesign of the HAS dispensaries into Health Centers by Soler, Chandon, Fritsche, Olibruce and others, followed by small group discussions.

Katja Holmberg, Brigitte Hofer and Christina Andreaus led a discussion about nursing at HAS and the challenges of sustaining gains in education and motivation. Dr. Andreas Alleman led a discussion on surgery at HAS, focusing on the challenge of sustaining a successful orthopedic service along with a strong soft-tissue service.

All of these topics generated lively discussions, along with thanks from HAS to the Swiss/European specialists who have contributed so much to our services and to the development of our strategies.

On Sunday, a moving reflection guided by Fr. Ruedi Schmidlin, who was a priest in Perodin, was preceded by the HAS European Alumni Association meeting, with reports from groups in Switzerland , the Netherlands , and Spain . A common theme was the difficulty of sustaining group energies and leadership as loyal supporters either age or become drawn to other priorities. It is apparent that many recent volunteers are most effectively integrated through electronic communications, as they are highly mobile, and sustain many wide-ranging commitments.

On Sunday afternoon, the group took a boat ride on Lake Lucerne to Rutli, the site of the origins of the Swiss Confederation, and the following days were scheduled with hikes and visits to cheese factories and scenic sites.

The hard work, over many months, by Elvira and her committee, paid off richly in the collective enjoyment of the participants in the fellowship of a shared experience and a restored commitment to the principles of Reverence for Life.

Photo courtesy of Rolf Maibach