Haiti Hospital Appeal
We also support the work of a UK registered Charity called the Haiti Hospital Appeal. Working in the poorest country in the western hemisphere for the last 4 years, they are seeking to establish a hospital in the north of the country.
This work has seen them establish a health centre, an ambulance service and a health outreach network. They seek to open the first buildings of the hospital, a maternity ward, in 2010. They also work with vulnerable children. In 2009, a respite care home for young children with physical and mental disabilities was opened by the charity.
Visit www.haitihospitalappeal.org for more information.
If you want to contact us about either of these projects email Jonnie via jonnieatbtc@aol.com or jonnie@haitihsopitalappeal.org
Watch a short video on the Haiti Hospital Appeal by clicking the play button below.
I walked 50 miles for Haiti
We arrived at Cosford at about 10 o'clock on Saturday Night. Despite the 50 mile march, our biggest concern was whether we would be sleeping in one of the marquees that are put up to house over 1000 marchers. The cadets who had done the march before reassured us that they were freezing and wet. To everyone's relief we found that we got to sleep in the "stone gym" (that was made out of bricks), it was a massive sports hall with about 500 people sleeping in it, but it was indoors and warm.
At 11 that night we were given the briefing for the next day, and were told that we had to get up at 3.50 the next morning. After 20 minutes of stumbling around a pitch black sports hall we formed up and marched off for breakfast at half past 4. Before going to Cosford, I thought I knew what bad food tasted like. Now I realise how wrong I was. It consisted of Sausage, Bacon, Tinned Tomato and Toast. The sausages tasted like play-dough and had probably never seen a pig before. The same can be said for the bacon, which was a chewy 1/4 inch thick... the tinned tomato's were the nearest to normality while the toast was cindered on one side and raw on the other.
After breakfast we returned to the sports hall to prepare, and by 6 o'clock we were formed up on the parade square ready to march out. We set out at about 6.10 and marched throughout the Day. We stopped at 3 rest camps for 10 minutes each as we had to be back by five o'clock everything else was done on the go. The only bit of interest was the pot of Suda-cream (used to stop chaffing) which exploded in a team-mates bag - and went everywhere.
After getting back, we collapsed down on our sleeping bags in various stages of agony. Everything from the waist down hurt. I went to sleep at 7 o'clock for what was seemed like five minutes before they woke me again at 3.50, to start all over again.
The second day was the harder and easier than the first. We had to finish an hour earlier, or we would have failed the march and gone home with nothing...so we were all very anxious, however, I had the thought to dose up on ibuprofen, so the agony of every footstep wasn't as bad as it could have been. We finally marched onto the parade square at the four o'clock on Sunday. After the walk, standing up for another 10 minutes was a pain, but we were finally dismissed.
I was really pleased with the medal, but still have no idea why I bothered or thought it was a good idea. Apparently everyone thinks this afterwards, but it doesn't stop them coming back. Despite the hard work, pain and difficulties, I'm pleased that I managed to raise so much for the Haiti Hospital Appeal (£230 and counting!!!!) and would like to thank everyone very much for their donations and support leading up to and through the weekend.
Twenty minutes later we were back on the coach and going home. I collapsed through the door about half eleven that night.
David
If you would like to sponsor David for his amazing efforts for Haiti, please click www.justgiving.com/david-hood-2010
HAITI HOSPITAL APPEAL - UPDATE:
Since Haiti was rocked by the catastrophic earthquake on January 12th 2010 the Haiti Hospital Appeal has played a key role in the relief effort, while maintaining it's commitment to it's restoration. We now know that over 230,000 people lost their lives in the quake, 300,000 people have been injured and up to a million people lost their homes. This devastation is almost unprecedented in modern history, a capital city flattened, putting the government, security, the economy and every level of society into jeopardy, on the brink of collapse.
We have a three point plan in the wake of the emergency;
1. Delivering aid to Port-Au-Prince.
2. Providing health care to refugees as they travel north.
3. The ongoing completion hospital buildings.
We are balancing the urgent need now with a sustainable future.
Amidst the ruins we have stories of hope, but we know that this hope can be so temporary - the future of Haiti's health care is partly in our hands and the progress we make to reduce maternal mortality and the 1 in 5 children that die before the age of 5 will provide a hope that will last.
To keep in touch with all we are doing contact us: jonnie@haitihospitalappeal.org and visit www.haitihospitalappeal.org
