Hope's Haiti Mission Team has been serving in Haiti since 2006. Our first mission was to a small isolated mountain mission in central Haiti. For the past three years we have been serving in a Ouanaminthe, a city with a population of 100,000 and until recently, had no doctors. Since medical professionals in Ouanaminthe are so limited, Hope has concentrated on taking medical personnel including family practitioners, internists, surgeons, dentists, nurses and opticians. The facility we service is part of Institution Univers (IU) which administers a 1,600 student Christian school, grades I to 13, and a new three story medical center. In July 2008, the medical center was able to employ its first Haitian staff consisting of two doctors, nurses, and professionals to operate the pharmacy and a lab. In late 2008, two medical residents joined the staff.

Our mission team is one of several medical mission groups who supplement the Haitian permanent staff. In March 2009, 22 of us witnessed the extreme poverty of those who inhabit the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Our energetic and enthusiastic team included college students on spring break, professionals taking vacation time and retirees. We shared hugs with beautiful Haitians who, as a normal routine, are not able to eat even one small meal for several days in a row and have never had medical care in their lives. We were able to accomplish much in our week in Ouanaminthe: hernias were repaired, tumors removed, smiles made beautiful, painful teeth removed, and 800 children were medically screened at the school. A new addition to this year's team was a small construction component. Painting and repairs to the school and medical clinic were some of their accomplishments as well as gaining awareness of projects that await volunteers.

In the future we hope to return to Ouanaminthe several times a year with small specialized teams. Some of the future medical needs include surgery, dental, optical, OB/GYN, pediatrics, orthopedics, and physical therapy. Construction crews would be helpful and would be kept very busy. The school is in need of teachers and specialists. Summertime brings a need for young people and adults to work with the children in "camps" at the school. Institution Univers has just graduated its first students, 13 in number. Hope has committed to help further the education of one of these young students at a private college in Haiti. The mission of IU is to train Christian Haitian leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, as this new graduating class is launched, the hope is that they will return to Ouanaminthe to lead the next generation into problem solving and challenging the status quo. It is a mighty mission and one Hope hopes to be a part of as we become more and more familiar with our Haitian neighbors.