The latest update in Haiti and Nicaragua
As many of you know, our summer trips this year were complicated by unrest in Haiti and Nicaragua. Because Bless Back focuses on empowering local leaders, these interruptions to our trip schedule did not affect the important work that’s happening on the ground at both sites. Bless Back and our partners, Mission of Hope International in Haiti and Los Rayos de Esperanza in Nicaragua, have created a solid foundation of ministry with infrastructure and employees set up to maintain initiatives full-time. In fact, in the midst of a crisis, our on-site comrades have become the hands of support reaching out to their own countrymen.
In Haiti, the current spate of political turmoil has not stopped our daily medical and dental clinics from functioning. In fact, our new doctor, Dr. Evens and dentist, Dr. Myriame, are busy seeing a full load of patients each day. They are using Bless Back’s new customized electronic medical records system, launched this summer, which allows our stateside physicians to collaborate with the local providers. BBW’s latest shipment of medications and supplies has arrived in Haiti, enabling our clinics to continue to offer quality medical care.
In the midst of civil unrest in Nicaragua, the staff of Los Rayos de Esperanza is busy serving their community. LRdE has created a food bank to combat the growing nutritional gap caused by lack of income and food shortages. They have increased the quantity and quality of their feeding programs at the school and in the churches where they serve. In the clinic, patients with chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension are still able to rely on nurse Neydi to do their follow up exams and give out their life-giving medications. In addition, Bless Back and LRdE have begun hosting “Virtual Clinics” so that providers here in the U. S. can offer diagnoses and treatments via video conferencing technology. While the unstable economy has forced many small businesses to close, the Business Academy coach, Jeyling Tapia continues her training sessions and monthly Business Association meetings.
We are incredibly grateful our partners are positioned to keep these vital ministries going, but they require substantial operational costs for both salary support and tangible supplies. The cancellation of our trips this year has placed a greater financial burden on us and we need your help! Please consider making a gift today towards the Bless Back Worldwide Medical and Business Academy funds to ensure these programs remain fully functional. We look forward to having teams back on the ground soon to see the progress in person!
