I started working on my first registers in the SCI building! We were inputting so much data and it didn’t occur to me that these were living breathing documents that community health care workers have actually filled out. These are documentations that were completed in 2015, a snapshot of a moment in time of a person’s most happiest moment. These community health care workers are able to share excitement and happiness with these families who have just given birth. These surveys are filled with questions regarding the health of the mother after birth and the health of the baby. If any of the questions are answered in such as way that reflect any sickness or disease in the health of the mother and the baby, they are immediately referred to their respective community health centers. Often time in registers, I see that these births are preferred to have taken place with local trained and untrained matrons. The names of these matron’s often appear multiple times throughout each ledger, as they are popular throughout their local communities. Another pattern I have witnessed is that they often take place at “Lakay” or at home, finding that these places are often easier to deliver the baby because of the length of travel required to go to a hospital. Inaccessibility to the hospital is commonality that links these families in their respective community. Therefore, the work that the community health care workers are during prior to their community is very important. These community workers are often responsible for providing Vitamin A, checking on the mothers each month, making sure the matron will have the tools that they need. Every one of these registers reveals information about a new life—a changed state of family. Even one of the surveys revealed that twins were born—one boy, one girl. Another survey that struck me the most was one of child that didn’t survive birth. Within some of the surveys, the child maybe found to have malformations. These infants are often found to have trouble breathing within their first days of entering into the world. Some of these issues such as trouble with respiration can easily be avoided just by having access to the hospital. Often times, babies can die just from having mucus in their nose. Dr. Farah, one of the residents of the hospital shared with me a common home-birth practice that occurs when the infant may have trouble breathing such as putting the baby underneath a pot and banging it until the baby wakes up. It may sound funny, but these are the common “Lakay” practices that take place. It reminds me that the work that I am doing is important to maintain the programs that these community health care workers provided. Linking information surrounding the pre-natal care to the post-natal outcomes of the child. Attached below are a few pictures of me after my first official day of work!
This morning, the bus waiting on us to travel to the next village picked us up in front of our house. We went to Saint Marc for groceries and the NatCom store to purchase our wifi-hotspot. Although the lights kept flickering on and off, Jean-Claude was able to help us 
out and get our Internet set-up. There is a lesson and blessing with everything that I have encountered thus far. I was able to meet up with Jimmy, our driver and he told me about the violence that he has experienced traveling. Jimmy is an older Caucasian individual who has been working with HAS for a long time and is in charge of all mechanical operations. As a Haitian-American traveling in Haiti, I have been blessed to not experience any violence within my traveling experience thus far. Sometimes, you forget about the privileges and the blessing you have just being able to travel to a country without any fear for your life.
Coming back from a long day at work, I was met with a smell that I couldn’t even describe. Today seemed like the smell of all smells. As normal, the aroma of the food travels throughout the house. Most of the time, the smell of the food makes special trips through the corridor of my room and slips through the cracks in my door. I quickly put my bags down and rushed to the kitchen to see what was for dinner! To my excitement,
[wpvideo OO6ti5AG] pizza was on the menu. Not just any pizza, as Madame Rosaline called it “Pizza Creole” or “Haitian Pizza.” This pizza was unlike anything I ever had! She said that she would teach me the recipe when I get
the chance! I have never made a pizza before, but I would like my first handmade pizza to be a Haitian Pizza. Below are pictures and videos of the pizza.
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