Introduction

Voices of Haiti - Introduction

 

[Voices of Haiti intro begins]

 

Patrick: It was kind of surreal

 

Loune: I was there just after the earthquake. You have all the aftershocks…

 

Dimitri: And I could see all the chaos and destruction.

 

Anany: Why I should continue to live if all this have to happen to me?

 

[Intro fades out]

 

 

Leslie: Welcome, I’m Leslie Friday. I want to thank you for listening to Voices of Haiti, the first official Partners In Health podcast. Before we start, let me explain a few things about Partners In Health, or PIH, for short. Partners In Health is a non-profit, social justice organization striving to make health care a human right for all people, starting with those who need it most. We work with communities and, those governing communities, to do this.

PIH works in 11 countries, but Haiti is where it all started more than 30 years ago. Zanmi Lasante, as Partners In Health is known in Haiti, grew out of a single clinic in Cange and now supports 15 hospitals and health centers across the Central Plateau and lower Artibonite. Zanmi Lasante local staff --including our doctors, nurses, and community health workers— serve a population of 3.9 million people. Yes, you heard that correctly, LOCAL STAFF. That’s one of the things that makes up different. We truly believe in community helping community.

 

[Pause]

 

I started at PIH 5 years ago as a writer who focused on telling stories about our work in Haiti. I wrote about conjoined twins who were separated at University Hospital in Mirebalais, about our incredible working screening and enrolling children into our malnutrition program, and profiled our amazing clinicians and patients who together battle cancer in Haiti, through the provision of free care. Today, I’m the Director of Content on the Marketing & Communications team. That means I have the incredible privilege of sharing the stories of all of my colleagues, who work tirelessly in countries like Haiti to bring health care to those most in need.

Although I’ve visited Haiti several times, I’m by no means an expert on the topic. So I’m proud to introduce you to the true experts, my Haitian colleagues who continue to work in their home country, or within the PIH family around the world.

 

 

[Pause]

Each of the individuals you will hear from in this podcast series was either in Haiti when the January 12, 2010, earthquake struck,

 

 

Patrick:  Honore was the one who was suffering. He was the one who had breaking leg, breaking hand, arms. He was the one who lost his partner but he was the one who keep telling us, “Oh we have hope. We need to keep pushing.”

 

 

Leslie: or traveled there to help with emergency response.

 

 

Maxo:  At least every single person in the country lost a family member.

 

 

Leslie: They are doctors and nurses, administrators and medical students. But they are also sons and daughters, neighbors and nephews, mothers and fathers of those who died or were injured that day. No one among them left unscarred from the earthquake. And how could they? 300,000 people died. More than 2 million people were displaced. And this was true in a country where 70 percent of people lived below the poverty line.

 

[Pause]

 

In the following episodes, my Haitian colleagues will share their memories from those first moments after the earthquake, to the days, weeks, and months of recovery afterwards. I hope you enjoy these stories of strength, empowerment, and humanity. Our first episode will be available on January 12th, 2020, through PIH’s Spotify account. In the meantime, visit pih-dot-org-backslash-Haiti to discover more stories about Zanmi Lasante. On behalf of the PIH family, I look forward to sharing my colleagues’ stories with you. Thank you for listening, and talk to you again soon.

 

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