The groups second day in Haiti was dominated again by travel. The 90 mile drive from Grande Goave to Les Cayes usually takes 3-4 hours. However traveling in Haiti is always an adventure. In Haiti simple tasks, such as finding gas or ice, takes longer. Our transportation, the Forward in Health bus, had overheating issues several times on the trip. This involved looking for a source of water along the road to cool the engine. 95 degrees and humid on a bus without air conditioning made the trip feel even longer.
After 6 hours we arrived at our destination, the Hosanna Mission House. A quick meal and the 2 teams split up. The medical team unpacked, sorted, and repacked the 30 hockey bags of medical supplies in preparation for the next days medical clinic.
The surgical team made its’ way to the Immaculate Conception Hospital in Les Cayes to consult with the local doctors and prepare the surgical patients for the next day. The local orthopedic surgeon had an ample supply of patients requiring surgery and was grateful for the help to come.
Riding from Grand Goave just outside of Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes, many on the team commented on how relentless the poverty was. Although the number of displaced people living in tent cities and pancacked buildings disappeared the further we traveled away from Port-au-Prince, the “usual” poverty never stopped. Certainly in the 3 months since the earthquake there has been no noticeable improvements in Haiti.