Haitian Courier #6: Pieces of My Memoirs

[This is a copy of the latest issue of my newsletter Haitian Courier, which was sent on July 26. To subscribe to the newsletter, please visit http://groups.google.com/group/haitian-courier]

Bonjou Mezanmi!

My last newsletter was a brief update just to let you know that I'm alive and well. This time I wanted to give you snippets of what I've been doing in Haiti for the past 6 weeks. Throughout this newsletter, you'll see words with web links, which will take you to corresponding entries on my blog.

First of all, I wanted to let you know that my return flight has changed from August 9 to July 31. The reason is that my older brother Sundo is getting married on August 2. So now I only have a few more days before I go home! Seems like my plans always change on the fly (last year I decided to stay an extra month in P-au-P). I can't believe my time here is almost over!

Secondly, I wanted to put a word out that the clinic here needs an X-ray machine to replace a broken one. Please let me know if you know anyone who needs to get rid of an old machine to replace it with a new digital one or for whatever reason. The one we have here has been broken for a while, and it would help so many people if we had a working X-ray machine.

Thank You!

Thank you everyone who sent in donations to support my trip to Haiti this summer! Thanks to you, I've now raised all the funds needed for the trip! It really means a lot to me that so many people have contributed. It's not just about my going to Haiti and volunteering, but now it's about all of you partnering together to help people in Haiti. Not only that, you are also investing in my life and career, as I aspire to serve in developing countries as a physician. The fact that you are supporting me will keep me humble hearted and motivated to do my best in whatever tasks I may be given, however menial or challenging they may seem. So once again, THANK YOU!

Any extra donations I receive beyond the goal of $2550 will be used to help people in Haiti in some form or another and not for personal benefit. I bet you would have guessed that, but just in case you were wondering. =)

Reintroduction

Hi there!

For those of you who may not know me, my name is SunMin, and I am a medical student at University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

This summer I am traveling to Haiti, from June 14^th to August 9^th, to volunteer at a clinic called Bethesda Medical Clinic (BMC). BMC is located in a small village called Vaudreuil, just outside Cap-Haïtien, which is on the northern coast of Haiti (Google Map). The organization that I am going through is called OMS International, which also runs Raido 4VEH in the same area. I learned Creole while spending 4 months in Haiti last year, so I am very excited about the opportunity to go back to Haiti this summer.

I don't know exactly what I'll be doing at the clinic yet, but BMC is one of the top-rated clinics in northern Haiti, sees about 150-200 patients per day, five days a week, and has in-patient care. So I imagine I'll be pretty busy at BMC this summer, and there's no doubt that it will be a challenging and rewarding experience!

I am confident that my time in Haiti this summer will be an invaluable learning experience since my career goal as a physician is to serve rural communities in impoverished countries. My previous travels to Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Haiti have stirred in my heart a passion for the medically underserved in poverty-stricken parts of the world. My experience in Haiti this summer will allow me to further improve skills that are necessary to serve effectively as a doctor.

To finance this 8-week project, I must raise $2550 which covers the costs of airfare to, from, and within Haiti, room and board, and travel insurance. Will you consider partnering with me by supporting me financially or by prayer? Any amount of contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to subscribe to this blog as I will be posting updates during my trip.

Sincerely,
SunMin Kim

To donate, please click the button below.

Fundraiser Progress

As of Sunday, June 15, 10:00PM
Contributions:
$580 (Surplus from previous Haiti trip)
$200 x 3
$100 x 8
$50 x 10
$30 x 2
$25 x 1
$20 x 8

Total: $2725 (100+%)
Goal: $2550
Unmet Need: $0

To donate, please click the button below.

How to Donate

To send contributions directly to me, please send a check payable to "SunMin Kim" to:

1 Miramar St. #929512
La Jolla, CA 92092

To donate online, please click the button below.

A New Plan

Great News!

Though my original plan fell through, I continued to look for an opportunity to serve in Haiti, especially because I had already bought the plane tickets. Then I came across another organization with which I could volunteer in Haiti this summer! I will be working at Bethesda Medical Clinic (BMC) in a small town called Vaudreuil, just outside Cap-Haïtien, which is on the northern coast of Haiti. The organization that I am going through is called OMS International, which also runs Raido 4VEH in the same area.

As for what exactly I'll be doing at BMC, I don't know the details yet since it was only decided recently that I'll be volunteering there. However, BMC is one of the top-rated clinics in northern Haiti, sees about 150-200 patients per day, five days a week, and has in-patient care. So I imagine I'll be pretty busy at BMC this summer, and there's no doubt that it will be a challenging and rewarding experience!

Now I have less than two weeks to raise all the funds, but fortunately the total cost of the trip is much lower! All I need to raise now is a total of $2550, and since I've raised $1750 so far, I just need $800 more. So almost there!

Thanks again to all the contributors for your generous donations! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayer.

SunMin

To donate, please click the button below.

Welcome to Zanmi Haiti!

Hi there!

For those of you who may not know me, my name is SunMin, and I am a medical student at University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

This summer I am traveling to Haiti, from June 14^th to August 9^th, to volunteer with an organization called Maison de Naissance (MN). MN is a birthing home in rural Torbeck, near Les Cayes, which is in southwest part of Haiti (Google Map). I learned Creole while spending 4 months in Haiti last year, so I am very excited about the opportunity to go back to Haiti this summer.

My main project will involve hypertension and pregnancy. Hypertension is a major problem in Haiti and a major factor in maternal mortality. I will conduct home follow-up visits on patients, assess hypertension in their families, and gather data pertaining to past maternal mortality in family groups. My project will also involve teaching the community health workers to integrate blood pressure screening in their work and developing incentives for treatment, particularly for women who need to be assessed early and frequently during pregnancy.

I am confident that my time in Haiti this summer will be an invaluable learning experience since my career goal as a physician is to serve rural communities in impoverished countries. My previous travels to Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Haiti have stirred in my heart a passion for the medically underserved in poverty-stricken parts of the world. My experience in Haiti this summer will allow me to further improve skills that are necessary to serve effectively as a doctor.

To finance this 8-week project, I must raise $4270, which covers the costs of airfare to, from, and within Haiti, room and board, translators, transportation, gas, and travel medical insurance. Any extra I raise will go towards acquiring medicine and supplies to take to MN. Will you consider partnering with me by supporting me financially or by prayer? Any amount of contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to subscribe to this blog as I will be posting updates during my trip.

Sincerely,
SunMin Kim

To donate, please click the button below.