By AZAM AHMED OCT. 10, 2016 New York Times
JÉRÉMIE, Haiti — Things had been looking up in Jérémie, a coastal city marooned on the tip of Haiti’s southern peninsula. It had recently gotten its first decent road link to the rest of the country, a new highway through the rugged mountains that brought development. Cellphone service had finally begun, enabling farmers and businesses to flourish. The city was racing into the 21st century, dreaming of advanced agriculture and tourism in one of Haiti’s few nature preserves.
Notes from our Founder Dr. Dree Stryker:
We were witnesses to the progress that Jeremie was making during our September 2013 mission trip to that lovely, quaint community. In collaboration with ITECH physicians and staff, our team evaluated their current level of technology and sat down with the spunky, articulate CEO of the facility to try to develop a strategy for the equipping their nursing school as well as the training of their OBGYN and family practice residents at the beautiful facility. The Oct 10, 2016 New York Times article eludes to the fact that the healthcare and business professionals in Jeremie had worked to create a community that easily convinced members of our team that Jeremie should be a vacation destination for anyone wishing a tropical experience where sunrises are breathtaking without contamination by over-commercialization.
The resilient people of Haiti have endured so many natural disasters. Hurricane Matthew, for its part, contributed torrential rains and wind that swept away homes, businesses, schools and people, resulting again in hundreds of fatalities throughout the country, including areas like Jeremie and Jacmel that had more modern facilities to optimize their tourism industry. The 2010 earthquake epicenter in Port Au Prince hit as an international coalition of business representatives met (and succumbed) at the Hotel Montana as they worked with their Haitian counterparts to create an infra-structure that would help Haiti become the international success they all envisioned. Within days of these disasters the Haitian people, having been through this over and over again, rise up to care for themselves and try to get back to business as usual despite the devastation. They deserve our support. After many years of mission work in Haiti, we have worked alongside many inspirational Haitian men and women who are dedicated to ensuring a clean water supply, education of the impoverished as well as assisting us in our efforts to equip and train Haitian professionals who will care for the women and children of their communities.
Natalie Fettinger accompanied us on our most recent mission trip, experiencing the fortitude of the Haitian people first hand. We applaud her efforts and trust that because of her vast experiences during that trip, she and her supporters in this endeavor will choose among the many deserving projects that are on-going in response to this most recent disaster. IWISH Foundation is honored to provide a medium for this endeavor given that the emphasis of your support includes sustainable initiatives in addition to recovery efforts. TO DONATE TO NATALIE’S PROJECT, go to our donation page!