Dr. Ora Wells is a pediatrician from Brevard, North Carolina, and a long-term member of Mission Manna’s medical staff. He is currently deployed on a seventeen day medical mission working primarily out of Leogane, Haiti. Following are a few snapshots of his trip.

Ora with the aunt of a newborn baby.

A street scene, typical of earthquake-related destruction in the area.

The tent city behind the area where Ora is working.

You can watch a interview of Ora talking about Mission Manna, here.

Objective: Develop and implement sustainable projects in the Haitian community of Montrouis to promote the health and welfare of children by providing clean water, basic healthcare and food for the severely malnourished.

I. HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Teams of volunteers consisting of medical and non-medical personnel will provide week-long medical clinics for children at various locations in and around Montrouis, thus bringing medical care to a large population that otherwise would have not access to such care. There will be at least two weeklong trips a year, but if there is adequate funding as well as volunteers, the number of trips may be expanded.

Ideas to consider for this project:

1. Develop standards for the staffing and operation of the clinics.

2. Prepare a budget for these trips.

II. MALNUTRITION REHABILITATION

Using community health agents retained by Mission Manna, a select number of children suffering from severe malnutrition will be enrolled in a program to rehabilitate their bodies, which in turn will promote their health and general well being. The community health agents will periodically provide nutritional supplements to the families of these children as well as health and wellness education. These children will be monitored to ensure that the intervention is having the intended results.

Ideas to consider for this project:

1. Establish guidelines as to children and families eligible to be enrolled in the program.

2. Establish guidelines for moving children and families out of this program in order to bring new children and families into the program.

3. Develop guidelines for the operation of the program, such as the types of food and nutritional supplements that are to be provided and the content of the health and wellness education to be provided.

4. Prepare a budget for this program to better determine how many children can be accepted.

III. SUSTAINABLE NUTRITION

Establishing a sustainable source of food and income is a key component in ultimately improving the health and quality of the lives of children and their families in Haiti. This project contemplates the use of agriculture as providing impoverished families with nutrition and income.

This project will initially focus on the introduction of goats as to better the lives of poor families in and around the Montrouis community. The reasons for selecting goats are perhaps best summarized by the following Raising Goats for Milk and Meat by Heifer International:

Goats are some of the most beneficial animals in the world providing meat, milk, fiber, fertilizer, and draft power in addition to working as partners in land reclamation. Widely known as the “poor man’s cow,” goats have some under-recognized advantages over other animals. They are readily adaptable, thriving in tropical, cold, dry or humid climates. Given their small statute compared to other livestock, goats can be raised on large or small land holdings. Furthermore, approximately two-thirds of the feed energy used to raise these animals comes from substances which are undesirable, indigestible and inedible by humans.

[G]oats cost very little, are ideal for family milk and meat production and can be easily sold for income. The milk and meat produced by one goat is the perfect balance: it is sufficient to meet children’s nutritional requirements, without the storage problems associated with the larger supply produced by cattle. In warm climates where no refrigeration is available, the meat from one goat can be consumed by a family before it spoils. And as there are few religious taboos related to the consumption of goat meat and milk. Goat meat, dairy products or offspring an easily be sold for extra income.

Traditionally raised for milk and meat, goats are the source of the most widely consumed meat in the world. It is an excellent source of protein. It is low in fat and cholesterol and high in vitamins and minerals. Similarly goat milk is more widely consumed worldwide that cow’s milk and, for many, is easier to digest.

Alternative 1: One possible design and for the establishment and implementation of this project could be as follows:

1. Mission Manna will assemble three small herds of goats, with one herd to be placed with each of the three rural mountain communities served by Mission Manna – Iviore, Fond Baptiste and Piyat. The herd will include 10 breeding does.

2. The goats to be utilized in the program will likely be a breed that is capable of producing reasonably quantities of milk as well as a sufficient amount of meat, which would make the animals attractive as a good source of ongoing nourishment and attractive as a commodity that can be sold in the market to provide an income. It is anticipated that an appropriate breed of quality goats can be acquired from existing farms in Haiti.

3. Before delivery of the goats, the members of each community who elect to participate in the program must demonstrate an ability to act in concert in caring from the herd and in distributing the benefits from this endeavor (i.e., milk, meat and/or income). It seems appropriate to have a high degree of self-governance by the community. Moreover, the project participants must receive a series of training courses on feeding goats, common diseases and goat management. In addition, Mission Manna may also sponsor periodic visits by a veterinarian to inspect and administer any needed care to the herd.

4. In exchange for caring for and raising the herd, the community can have and take as their own (a) milk from the goats and (b) one-half of the kids produced by the herd. Although actual results will vary based on the breed of goat selected, a female goat may have up to three kiddings in two years, with multiple offspring resulting from each kidding. Thus, a herd of 10 does and one buck can be expected to produce between 30 and 60 kids in the course of three years.

5. Mission Manna will retain rights to the remaining one-half of the kids produced by the herd to be given to families where there is a great need for assistance, including families with children in the malnutrition rehabilitation project as a way to sustain nutrition while in the program and after graduating from the program. Those new families receiving goats must also receive training on the care and management of goats.

6. In conjunction with this program, it will be necessary to establish a breeding program. It may be best to assist one individual in the community in acquiring and maintaining a breeding buck that can be rotated between communities or periodically replaced in order to prevent in-line breeding. The person with the breeding buck will share along with the other members of the community in the milk and kids produced by the herd, and may also receive some additional compensation from Mission Manna, a breeding fee, for maintaining the buck.

7. As a pilot project, this program can be started in one of the mountain communities. If the results of the pilot project are favorable, then herds can also be placed with the other two mountain communities.

Alternative 2: Another possible approach to the establishment and implementation of this goat project is as follows:

1. Mission Manna will select 10 families in each of the three rural mountain communities it serves, a total of 30 families, and it will give each family a doe. Families in the program must participate in a series of training courses on feeding goats, common diseases and goat management. Also, a designated individual in each community will receive additional training on goat health care.

2. Each family who receives a doe must also agree to pass on one of the doe’s female offspring to another family in need, along with the training and skills that have been acquired in managing and raising goats. Similarly, each recipient family must also agree to pass on one of the female offspring of the doe it receives as well as the training and skills associated with caring for goats.

3. Mission Manna may reserve the right to designate families to receive the offspring, and this may provide a way to provide goats to families who have children in the malnutrition rehabilitation project.

4. It will be necessary to establish a breeding program as well. It will likely be best to assist one individual in the community in acquiring and maintaining a breeding buck that can be rotated between communities or periodically replaced in order to prevent in-line breeding. The person with the breeding buck can be paid a breeding fee for maintaining the buck.

IV. CLEAN WATER

Finally, clean water will be provided in each of the communities served by Mission Manna by the installation of one or more water wells in those communities. These wells will be strategically located to preserve their integrity and to facilitate the collection, treatment and distribution of water. Individuals in the community will be trained to govern and maintain the wells and the distribution system.

BREVARD, N.C., Jan. 21, 2010 – A Brevard pediatrician is traveling to
Haiti this week with a national team of doctors and nurses to provide desperately needed medical
care to victims of the recent earthquake.

The medical team of four nurses, two orthopedic surgeons, a family practice doctor, a
critical care doctor and Brevard pediatrician Ora Wells are going to two clinics and a
hospital that are still standing despite being at the epicenter of the recent earthquake.
Dr. Wells and a local nurse from Asheville left Western North Carolina on
Thursday for New York. The entire medical team will fly from New York City on Friday to the
Dominican Republic, then travel by ground to the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

“We will be on the ground for two weeks, returning to JFK airport on Feb.
8,” Dr. Wells said by phone from the airport on Thursday. Dr. Wells left Western North
Carolina with four large check-on bags of medicine and medical supplies provided by
Transylvania Regional Hospital and the Transylvania Medical Society. The Brevard hospital’s
pharmacy provided antibiotics and other desperately needed medicines. Local physicians and
employees of the hospital donated nearly $2,000 to purchase additional medicine and medical
supplies for Dr. Wells to take with him to Haiti. TRH employees have also set up a
Haiti-relief fund to provide financial assistance as Dr. Wells needs it to purchase additional
supplies to treat patients while he is in Haiti.

The medical team to Haiti was organized by Jodel Charles, a pastor from Denver, Colo. Both
of Charles’ parents are Haitian doctors that own and run the local hospital and clinics
just outside Port-au-Prince where Dr. Wells will work to save lives.

“These local doctors are desperate for supplies and help in providing care to the sick and
injured,” Dr Wells said.

Dr. Wells is no stranger to Haiti. He has traveled to Haiti six times over
the past several years with other local nurses and doctors through Mission Manna, an Asheville faith-based
organization that provides medical care for malnourished children in rural Haiti.

“I have fallen in love with the proud and noble people of Haiti that manage to live
day-by-day under crushing poverty,” Dr. Wells said. “I appreciate everyone’s
interest and support it making it possible for me to go to Haiti to help the earthquake
victims, especially my wife, my partners at Hendersonville Pediatrics, friends and
the medial staff and employees at Transylvania Regional Hospital.”

Mission Manna is a faith-based organization located in Western North Carolina that provides medical care for malnourished children and continuing health care education for adults in and around the Haitian town of Montrouis.
Mission Manna’s current efforts are focused in two primary areas. First and foremost is curbing malnutrition with our akamil distribution program. Akamil is a highly nutritious mix consisting of two parts cereal (rice, corn, millet, wheat) and one part beans. It is an essential element in preventing malnutrition in Haiti. Mission Manna employs health agents to distribute akamil in Montrouis and the surrounding areas. We are currently tracking the positive results of dozens of malnourished children in our zone.

Mission Manna also provides leadership for medical mission teams to travel to Haiti to conduct clinics for thousands of Haitian children each year. These teams consist of local doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants and lay people who work together toward the common goal of eliminating malnutrition and its devastating effect on Haitian children.
Haiti is a picture in contrast. The sheer scope of malnutrition and poverty in Haiti is hard for western minds to grasp. Yet the hope that can be seen in Haitian’s eyes is truly inspiring. Once people get involved with Mission Manna and assisting Haiti, they seldom walk away.

Consider Haiti at www.missionmanna.org.

When I first met Ti Jean, he was a spindly, orange-haired little guy with sad eyes and upper arms skinny enough that he would fall well within the range of the World Health Organization’s classification of moderately to severely malnourished. He initially caught my eye because of the soft whimper that I heard coming from the place where he sat waiting with his aunt to see one of the American doctors who had traveled to Montrouis with us on this occasion. When I approached him to ask what was wrong, he timidly mumbled that he was hungry. His look was clearly not one that had been practiced repeatedly in hopes of tricking some silly “blans” out of their “green money.”  Instead, the tears running silently down his cheeks and the swelling belly that hid behind his starched, white shirt were representative of what true hunger must feel like.
Heart strings effectively tugged by Ti Jean’s despair, I grabbed him and his aunt by the hand, leading them to the dining hall where we Americans had feasted on pumpkin stew only hours earlier. Rifling through our food stashes for anything I could find to send them home with, I told them to help themselves to the remaining stew. About 15 minutes later, armed with an arsenal of granola bars and peanuts, they returned to the waiting area with full bellies and with what seemed to be much more serene spirits.
Ti Jean was seen in clinic and doctored for his upper respiratory infection and intestinal worms. He got his vitamins and bags of Akamil (the nutrition-rich mix of grain and beans that is used to nurse children back from malnutrition) and then wandered back to his home with his aunt. Notably, we had written down Ti Jean’s address, so that we could follow up with him down the road.
Over the years, as I have returned to Haiti, I have gotten to know Ti Jean and his family, visiting them regularly at their mud and thatched-roof hut, which sits proudly on a dusty knoll in the outskirts of Montrouis.   As it turns out, Ti Jean is an orphan, having been born in a mountain village where his mother and father subsequently died of tuberculosis. He moved into his aunt’s house in Montrouis around the age of 3. He is one of 12 children living there, 3 of the children being his aunt’s biological children. All of the others are nieces, nephews and cousins who have also lost their parents. As best as we can tell, Ti Jean is now 6 or 7 years old, though no one can verify this for certain.
As often as we have been able over the years, my husband, Luxo, a native of Montrouis who lived there until August of 2006, and myself, have taken children’s vitamins, worm medicine and Akamil to Ti Jean and his family. As Ti Jean proudly sang out during a visit in the summer of 2006, “Chak fwa mwen we machin Pa Pouche pase sou wout-la, mwen rele pou fe granme mwen konnen ke tonton mwen ap pase.” In English, “Every time I see Luxo’s car go by on the road, I yell to my grandmother that my uncle is passing by.”
Indeed his family has become an extension of our own. Most recently, on our October medical trip back to Montrouis, I was giddy at the thought of getting to see Ti Jean again, hopeful that he would be doing as well as he had been when we last him. On Tuesday, the day that we held clinic in Ti Jean’s corner of town, I was standing in our makeshift pharmacy, sorting out amoxicillin and skin creams to give to our new patients, when a healthy, handsome boy came bouncing into my arms.  His smile was beaming, his hair black and shiny, his belly no longer swollen and though thin, his arms were much more toned than they had been when we first met.
Sitting by my side throughout much of the clinic, eagerly trying to make conversation with the rest of the group, showing me how he could count and say his ABC’s and donning someone’s sunglasses so that he looked extra snazzy, Ti Jean spoke with Luxo (who was in the U.S.) over the phone, ensuring him that he was doing well and acting as if he talked on cell phones all the time. Throughout this encounter, I was rejoicing inside. Here is this one child, ever so miniscule in the global scheme, who has been given a chance at life, healthy development and, perhaps as importantly, the feeling that he is valued and loved.
As I took a deep breath and watched as hundreds of other families cycled through our clinics, interacting with our group members as friends, I thought of how we may be beaming some ray of hope into the lives of families throughout Montrouis, and how simultaneously, they are undoubtedly beaming such enormous rays of hope into our own.

Maggie Lozier-Vital

February 4, 2009

Dear Friends of Mission Manna,

As 2008 has been a trying year for many, I hope this letter finds you with peace of mind. I’m pleased to report that while accomplishing a great deal in 2008, Mission Manna maintained a balanced budget and finished the year in the black. This is due in no small part to generous contributions from donors such as you and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Over the past year or so, you’ve been hearing more and more about our community healthcare program and less about our hospital construction project. This trend will continue in 2009. At our January board of directors meeting, we voted to formally halt progress on the hospital construction and focus our efforts entirely in the area of community healthcare agents and the expansion of that program.

This will no doubt surprise some of you who have supported the hospital project. Be assured though, we are moving forward to attain the most value possible from the progress made on the hospital project. The board of directors is confident that even if we do incur financial loss, this will be more than offset by the freedom that this decision will allow us in pursuing our current and very successful community healthcare projects. We will keep you apprised of the details but be confident that all donations are being put to good use in Haiti.

As you are aware, we are currently employing two community healthcare agents who are dispensing food, nutritional supplements and medical aid to 12 families. This is in addition to the thousands of malnourished children that we treat in our twice-yearly medical clinics. We are currently studying other proven models of community healthcare outreach and will be modifying and expanding our program throughout 2009. I haven’t the slightest doubt that this is the most effective use of Mission Manna’s resources and our work is having a very positive impact upon the children of Montrouis.

We hope to hear from you in 2009⎯and please check our website for frequent updates (now including video). We thank you for your continued support of Mission Manna and the children of Haiti.

Looking forward with much hope,

Todd Kaderabek
Chairperson, Mission Manna