Combat Cholera: A Shared Message from Rotarians
There is an urgent need for Rotarians and others to help HAS combat cholera which has increased dramatically due to the recent rainy season. Cholera is rapidly being spread through contaminated water, lack of latrines and lack of safe sanitation measures.
HAS medical and community health staff are working feverishly to treat the increase in cholera patients in the hospital’s Cholera Treatment Center. Recently, there were over 300 patients in the center, triple the number being treated only a short time earlier.
In addition to the ongoing treatment of cholera patients, there is another critical need at HAS to help them in their efforts to reduce the spreading of cholera throughout their service area and bring an end to this deadly disease. HAS’s Integrated Community Services Division is working throughout the area to develop new clean water sources, protecting and disinfecting existing water sources, building latrines and educating the public on improving their sanitation measures. The cost to implement these actions has strained HAS’s current operating budget; and therefore, more funds are needed now to help them continue their life saving work in combating cholera.
Some Rotary clubs within Haiti are helping by building latrines and disinfecting existing water sources. However, more help is needed to get the job done. As a Rotarian and a member of an international Rotary club with members from northern Vermont and Canada, I see a great opportunity for Rotary clubs to get involved in helping HAS combat cholera. With Rotary International’s organization and capabilities, I feel that it is in the best position to provide the timely and most effective help for the challenges that HAS faces in combating cholera.
Our Rotary club has been supporting HAS for 14 years. I’ve been to HAS and have witnessed the outstanding medical care and more it provides to the 345,000 Haitians living in their service area. About 5 years ago I visited various clubs in our district to make them aware of the life saving work HAS is doing and to solicit donations to help our club with a clean water project for Haitians living in the mountain villages around HAS. The villagers were drinking contaminated water when their wells went dry in the summer, leading to people getting sick and needing medical care. Our project raised sufficient funds to cap spring water in two of these villages before it became contaminated; and in doing so, it provided clean water for these people. This is only one example of how Rotarians and Rotary Clubs can help HAS help the poorest of the poor in our hemisphere.
To all Rotarians, please make your club aware of the critical needs of HAS in fighting cholera. Dr. Larry Mellon and his wife Gwen were the founders of HAS. They gave up their life of luxury and with their own money, built HAS, and lived there since it opened in 1956 serving the Haitian population until their deaths. They embodied the ideals of Rotary service and lived their lives by Rotary’s motto “Service Above Self.” Now that they are gone, it’s up to us to keep their dream of “Reverence for Life” alive by helping HAS with their work in saving lives and changing lives.
