Weekly Bulletin - December 11, 2014 Meeting

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Portland Rotary club’s 3-H program was built on opportunities. This is a multi-club, multi-district program with the La Romana district in the Dominican Republic. The people in the area are mostly Haitian immigrants and very friendly, despite the extreme poverty. The Buen Samaritano hospital serves the Haitian population; the director is a Rotarian.

 

Their first project was to provide hearing aids and speech therapy. It began with two members of their club, an audiologist and speech therapist, who were working in the area. They now see 150 patients over a week; patients are seen for testing, and for fitting of ear molds to hold hearing aids. They range from kids to seniors. They’re now training local people to carry on the work. The joy of people who are hearing for the first time is amazing.

 

The second H in the 3-H project is to provide prosthetic hands. People lose hands mostly in machete violence and job accidents. After fitting, patients receive training in using them. The cost of a hand is just $50.

 

The third H is H2O. The hospital was most concerned about people drinking dirty water, so the club began providing inexpensive water filters. The hospital’s goal is to have one in every home, and in every bate. It takes 15 minutes to install, and lasts for 8 years; the hospital can recharge them easily with the sand and biological material needed. Another large part of the program is sanitation education, which hospital workers undertake.

 

Other projects (not beginning with H): school supplies, and a bus for handicapped students at a vocational school.