Last week I returned to Pittsburgh from Haiti just in time to celebrate International Women’s Day – a day that means a lot to us at Haitian Families First, for many reasons.
The obvious? We’re women!
Although I started my work in Haiti when I was technically just a girl, I have grown up in the last 10+ years to become a woman who cares about other women. And as an organization aimed at caring for children and keeping families together, our biggest impact in a community is often through the strong empowered women in our programs.
Take Jeta, a mother of two who, when we met her, had placed her four-year old daughter with a distant family member hours away because she felt unable to properly care for her. She had lost her job and her partner, and was struggling to feed her young son.
We hired Jeta to work as a community liaison for HFF, and she is now raising both of her children at home. She spends hours in the hospital comforting families enrolled in our Health & Wellness program, she visits newborns to be sure that their caregivers are meeting their needs, and answers any questions they might have.
Last week (as I explain in the video above) we faced an unexpected challenge: we purchased our weekly supply of powdered formula/milk and distributed it to the families, as usual. A few days later, we received calls from many families that the kids had gotten sick.
We found out that the milk had been contaminated with microscopic bugs and eggs.
This is tough for us. Not only did we face higher than usual doctor bills for the kids who became ill, but we had to repurchase an entire week’s supply of milk. This unexpected event cost us approximately double what we normally factor for a week.
In the days following the kids getting sick, Jeta took the lead on checking in with the families that we had not heard from to make sure that their kids had not been affected, and helping them to make ‘serum’, a homemade version of pedialyte made using purified water, salt, and sugar.
Thanks to Jeta’s diligence in checking in on the kids, only a few of them had to be hospitalized for dehydration. She’s a tremendous asset to the HFF family and knew just what to do during this trying time.
Unexpected struggles like this can be tough on our organization, as we are careful to plan out our budget. In Haiti, the unexpected can happen any time, and we have to be ready. This week, we want to ask you for your help.
Whether you contribute the equivalent of your favorite gallon of milk or join the nutrition program as a monthly sponsor, your love of milk can make a difference.
By Vivian Lee Croft
After graduating high school I wanted to join the Peace Corps. Then, I wanted to teach English in Nepal. Now, I want to help strengthen a country, one family at a time. And that, I can do.
You might laugh at the seeming impossibility of how these things help or even, how one person can make a difference, moreover, has the passion or will to do so. The common thread through all of these desires and likely everyone following the dream to dedicate his life to service, is the explicit need to help other people.
Reflecting on the first few weeks of this year, the anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, the annual celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and my own personal accomplishments and losses, I believe nothing but change will propel me forward. And in changing my personal belief system to include the understanding that my actions matter, I embrace being called a changemaker. Just knowing that I can lead by example, or give one extra dollar or enhance someone’s life with education, leads me to believe that I am changing the world. These are small steps, simple ones that start at home, with me.
My dad taught me the importance of leading by example, staying true to my word, honoring my relationships, and fighting for that in which I believe. Genetics or upbringing, he is the reason I give so deeply and so passionately. As I provided care for him at my parents’ home, my childhood home during his battle with cancer eight years ago, I was able to connect with him in a way that has since impacted my view of life and death. He died at home, with dignity, with my mom and me at his side. His death rocketed me forward in wanting to really dig deep and help others. When Jamie and Ali and I talk about the families in Haiti served through our programs, I often think of his final week under my care. I know how it feels to lose someone. I know what a blow it is to have to see cancer take down a giant of a man. I know that education and prevention are key (but not the only) components in proper health care and this is something that translates over borders.
This week, Jamie is hoping to finalize a date for a surgery in the US for Junior, a child in Haiti who cannot get the life-saving operation he needs there. This is his last chance. I hope that I am able to honor my relationship with HFF and Junior’s family by fighting for them, because I believe in them. My hope is that Junior’s father will not have to know the sorrow of losing his child. By leading by example, giving an extra dollar, and offering education in whatever form that comes, I am contributing to the change I know I can see.
Some people talk about dreams. Big dreamers plan for change. Changemakers institute it. If the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t talk about his dream, he wouldn’t have inspired countless others to help him change the world. My dream is for us to change the world. Let’s help Haiti grow to mirror the hearts of its people, who engage with love and hope. Let’s reach out and be changemakers.
You too can be a changemaker, maybe you already are. I’d love to hear how. Send me an email at vivian (at) HaitianFamiliesFirst dot org or tweet us at @HaitianFam1st and tell us how you change your world. We’d love to be inspired by your efforts and will share them with everyone else so that they may be inspired, too. #GiveUp2GiveBack
Vivian Lee Croft is a member of the Haitian Families First Board of Directors. Vivian lives in Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Duquesne University. Her chief roles are programming and development for the organization. To get in touch with Vivian, please email her at vivian@haitianfamiliesfirst.org.