tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:14:06 +0000http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/nfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)Blogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-9067246247606458584Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:13:00 +00002011-04-24T04:14:06.972-07:00Happy Easter!!   Or as my kids have been saying, "Resurrection Day"....which I prefer.  Today is a day for Rising Again.  For great hope and new ways of doing things. Today is a new day for Jen and me.  We have decided to move forward with the non-profit and make it explicitly a faith-motivated organization (as opposed to keeping it 'secular' or stripped of language relating to Christianity).http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/04/thriving-missionsmission-statement.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-5847200030731657537Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:49:00 +00002011-04-13T18:49:54.151-07:00Hi All,Here is a short report of some of the data I've analyzed from the household survey.  Some pretty shocking statistics.For those entering data, know that your work is very very important.   All the data you are entering is revealing these kinds of important needs. Ben-- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/04/some-more-data.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-1514227140900847983Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:45:00 +00002011-04-12T06:46:29.549-07:00Some of you may be interested in seeing some analysis of the height & weight data from last year.   I finally figured out how to get some software to analyze it for me!!!   (Go me!!!) The take-home messages are in the .doc   (the two curves ought to match up.   Pestel's curve falls well below where it ought to)For those who like to see % etc, check out the .xls   (look at weight-for-age, for http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/04/fwd-some-biometric-data-from-pestel.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-5615152401287637987Sun, 10 Apr 2011 23:54:00 +00002011-04-10T16:54:41.908-07:00Hi all,So this is pretty cool:   I've been emailing with the head of UNICEF's nutrition program for Haiti.   I JUST got an email from him today that he is able to provide me with iron tablets and micronutrients for the upcoming anemia campaign in June!!!    I asked for 160,000 doses   (gulp).  His response:"I have them in stock here in Port-au-Prince".   :) Now THAT'S really cool!   It's also http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/04/iron-therapy.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-3794434149718106088Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:51:00 +00002011-04-08T10:52:05.235-07:00Hi all,First, after months of discussion and prayer, and after meeting with a bunch of people, we've decided that we need to start up a non-profit group for the efforts in Haiti.  More information will be forthcoming as it develops, but we have decided on a name: Thriving Villages Initiative  (TVI)We've purchased ThrivingVillages.org  and ThrivingVillages.com     But they are not up-and-running http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/04/latest-news.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-7002081863436469945Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:07:00 +00002011-03-23T05:08:05.625-07:00Hi everyoneWe have a lot of data that needs to be entered from the Pestel household surveys.  We've got about 1/4 of the data entered so far which means there is a LOT of data that still needs to be entered. I'd like to get all this entered within the next couple of weeks in order to analyze it in time for the Variety Intl annual conference at the end of April.So if you know of anyone who can http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/data-enterers-needed.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-2430673040863247851Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:05:00 +00002011-03-17T18:05:25.484-07:00Hi everyone,When I was in Haiti Dr. Seneque mentioned the need for propane tanks in order to start up the immunization program.  The next day I received an email that money had been donated for this purpose.  I was able to tell Dr. Seneque, and he was very happy about it.  These are the sorts of messages that reinforce what I've been telling folks in Pestel:  that God moves in people's hearts on http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-updates.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-538740053556755317Wed, 16 Mar 2011 01:34:00 +00002011-03-15T18:35:16.625-07:00All four of us can attest to the very long and back-breaking trip from PAP to Pestel.  I've been trumpeting this for years:  we need a better way.  By sea or by air--I'm not so picky anymore!There are two main barriers to bringing people out to Pestel, and they have been evident from Day 1.  The first is the issue of transportation.  It's fraught with problems (just ask my brother-in-law Jon http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/transportation-and-pestel.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-5053666488113410656Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:34:00 +00002011-03-15T17:34:36.468-07:00Thanks to Steve Miller for using his talents to help bring the needs and beauty of Pestel to all of us through his photos.  Here are a series of photos he just uploaded.  It is well-worth spending time on each one. stevemillerphotography.blogspot.com Ben -- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/photos-from-steve-miller.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-631085566556912404Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:13:00 +00002011-03-14T17:13:49.619-07:00Here are some photos with captions, probably best viewed as a "slideshow".https://picasaweb.google.com/benfredrick/HaitiMarch2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCL3gqcKq09CbgwE&feat=directlink Others will certainly have better photos, and I'll send them along when I get them!Ben-- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-photos-from-trip.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-1252038423077110125Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:55:00 +00002011-03-14T06:56:22.493-07:00Hi all,Wow!  What a week!   I got back home at around 4AM this morning (which isn't SO bad because it really only felt like 3AM Haiti time because they don't change their clocks   :) Honestly, a good number of things to report and I'm going to have to pace myself.  Also, I've asked folks from the trip to provide some of their thoughts by email that I will send out to y'all.  I know Johnny and http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-safe-and-sound.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-7774620166990623142Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:37:00 +00002011-03-09T13:40:58.969-08:00I know that this just doesn't seem that earthshaking to you, but it's a true highlight for me.  :)  I finished up worker training today, a day ahead of schedule.  Overall that went quite well, and the next trip in June is going to be a big training trip.   John Lane spent the day with Alix out on the island, and he just came back looking exhausted.  I think he is pleased with the day's work.  http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/2nd-email-from-pestel.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-6998876892768192941Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:51:00 +00002011-03-07T15:51:41.467-08:00Hi everyoneI'm actually emailing from Pestel!  Write this one down as one of the "firsts" for my trips to Haiti.   Also a first, we went to Pestel by road from PAP....down to Les Cayes and then over the very high mountains (and down those same tall mountains) to Pestel.   Our driver, Ezai, is also our host in PAP (and the father of Nakeysha, the little girl who had heart surgery at Hershey and http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/03/hey-internet-works.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-2405093534583936973Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:12:00 +00002011-02-28T07:13:08.304-08:00Hi everyone,With the next trip to Haiti coming up this weekend it is just astounding at the level of minutiae that has to be managed.  WOW.   One of the great challenges of working in rural Haiti is that essentially every little thing that you might need to do your work has to be brought with you.   And getting all those things out to Pestel is not easy either. This is going to be a different http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/02/details-details-details.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-439709533150123001Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:10:00 +00002011-02-17T13:11:19.716-08:00Hi all,I got off the phone with Anna from Heifer International.  I'm quite excited about where this will be going.  And I think she sees some really good potential here as well. In short, they have agreed to a pilot project in Pestel on the order of 16 months.  The project would include 400 beneficiaries with a focus on improving nutrition through agricultural production!!  Livestock, gardening.http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-on-heifer.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-9206642410765811926Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:07:00 +00002011-02-14T12:08:03.750-08:00I JUST received this Fantastic News from Anna, who is the director of the Americas projects for Heifer International:A collaborative project to carry out nutrition/food and income security support in Pestel with your team has been approved.  I cannot adequately describe the potential of how wonderful this can be!  Please check out Heifer International: Heifer.org I will talk with Anna this http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/02/should-have-waited-bit-longer-before.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-5459293174877248432Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:20:00 +00002011-02-14T04:21:20.028-08:00Hi everyoneJust want to share a couple of developing items:Agriculture/Nutrition:   waiting for a final report from Heifer Intl about their site visit to Pestel.  The emails I've received from different people seem very positive!! Water:   lots developing in this area.  A key component of our next trip (in early March) will be to scout out water sources and start to develop a strategy to providehttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/02/february-updates.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-7155269177397255566Sat, 05 Feb 2011 15:07:00 +00002011-02-05T07:07:32.002-08:00Hi all,We have a bunch of data from a household survey that needs to be entered.   Would you be willing to work on entering some data?The data was collected in October/November by the health workers in Pestel.  It includes a tremendous amount of really important information including items such as # of people living in the house, educational levels, income, nutritional information etc etc. With http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/02/data-entryvolunteers-needed.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-721400839746039878Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:48:00 +00002011-02-01T04:49:07.715-08:00Hi all,  I thought I would pass along this report from Julio of Water Missions International.  He recently surveyed the island (Cayemite) which is the 6th Section in Pestel.   The needs on the island are very dramatic, as I've mentioned in the past.   I am very impressed by the care and precision of this report, and this is a recommendation of where the Water Missions purifying unit, being http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-from-water-missions.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-9090049573200030618Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:19:00 +00002011-01-29T04:20:16.554-08:00 Please do not open any email sent from BENFREDRICK@HOTMAIL.COM     (HOTMAIL account.....) This is defunct, but somehow a series of  junk/spam/harmful emails was sent from it. I will try to shut this account down.       My correct email:   benfredrick@gmail.com BEN-- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/01/spam-email-from-my-hotmail-account.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-3284858245375447246Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:44:00 +00002011-01-22T07:45:22.383-08:00Here's a quick video update I tried to put together from my recent trip.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQJ0sJxESaI Ben-- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/01/oh-yeahforgot-about-this-one.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-211727349615860192Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:43:00 +00002011-01-22T07:44:18.214-08:00Hi all,  I just got off the phone with Sister Fidelis (who lives in Pestel) and we had a very nice talk and chance to update one another.I received a short email back from the Heifer Intl representatives in Haiti:   sounds like the meeting this past weekend in Pestel went well.  They are now developing a recommendation!    Water Missions International will be traveling out to Pestel this http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/01/some-updates-from-pestel.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-6884720733115347092Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:44:00 +00002011-01-18T13:46:10.646-08:00I'm attaching a couple of photos from my recent trip.   The one shows Nakeysha (youngest) with her two sisters.  They loved the dresses Jen sent down for them!The other photos show Julio (Water Missions International) explaining the water treatment to Dr. Seneque.   This is a fantastic piece of equipment! Ben-- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/01/couple-of-photos.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-4758065245005849496Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:21:00 +00002011-01-17T05:22:07.567-08:00Here is the news article about Pestel.  I don't think it made USA Today, but it did get posted here!http://www.news-press.com/article/20110117/HAITI/110116035/1075/Toughest-battle-in-Haiti-is-access-to-medicines Ben-- Haiti Bloghttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/ http://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/01/news-article.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634396662091290626.post-2126766822412283803Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:56:00 +00002011-01-16T13:57:30.175-08:00Hi allFor those who know me--I send out a flurry of emails during the first week back from my trips.   Just too much to write about!First, check out this article I just saw that shows photos of Sisters Fidelis and Jo!!!    http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/national_world&id=7894108I was supposed to meet Katie (the woman mentioned in the article) in November, but alas... I went to ahttp://haitimedical.blogspot.com/2011/01/back-in-us-of.htmlnfredrick@psu.edu (Dr. Ben Fredrick)0