As Haiti’s displaced populations grow, Samaritan’s Purse mobile clinics are serving thousands of people in the country’s most vulnerable communities.
At 103 years old, Claircie* still worked hard in her garden.
She relies on the harvest of vegetables and staple foods to feed herself, but recently she felt so ill she could barely get out of bed. She couldn’t afford the cost of treatment at a medical facility. So, she suffered at home hoping it would eventually pass.
When she heard that Samaritan’s Purse was sending medical teams to her area, she worked up the strength to get there. Her head was pounding. When the mobile medical team examined her, they discovered she had dangerously high blood pressure.
“Here I was welcomed with kindness, and this made me very happy.”
Within just a couple of hours and with the right medications, Claircie was feeling better. She rejoiced that her symptoms had improved and was grateful for the kindness of the staff serving her in Jesus’ Name.
“There are places I have gone where I was not received because I did not have money,” she said, “but here I was welcomed with kindness, and this made me very happy.”
She was glad she could return home knowing what caused her illness and that the treatment was working. She was also grateful to tend her crops again and complete her work on the land.
“Even now, I still enjoy going to my garden to sow and harvest,” said the centenarian. “I cannot bear to see work that needs to be done and not be able to do it.”
Bringing Healthcare within Reach for Vulnerable Haitians
Claircie* is one of nearly 20,000 Haitians we’ve treated through our mobile clinic program in the island nation.
For many Haitians, access to healthcare has become increasingly out of reach in recent years. In the country’s remote rural areas, Haitians in desperate need of care are unable to travel to medical facilities. For so many others, the cost of care makes it a near impossibility. And, as families continue to flee gang violence, healthcare facilities are spread thin as displaced Haitians resettle in more rural communities, causing populations to surge.
In response, Samaritan’s Purse has sent mobile clinics of in-country medical teams to bring basic healthcare to the displaced and vulnerable. So far, we have mobilized 88 mobile clinics in seven locations in Haiti.
Suffering in Silence
For a long time Theres* had been experiencing sharp pain, ranging from her head to her legs, but she had nowhere to turn for help.
“For a long period, I endured my sickness in silence,” she said.
“I thank the Lord with all my heart.”
She was able to visit our mobile clinic in her community recently, though, and got answers.
“I explained all of these problems to the doctor, who listened to me carefully and examined me with kindness,” the elderly woman said about one of our mobile clinics. “Today I am very happy and full of gratitude because I was examined by doctors and received medications.”
“I thank the Lord with all my heart for this opportunity. Today, I feel relieved, encouraged, and full of hope because I was not forgotten.”
Spiritual Encouragement Through Medicine
Spiritual encouragement was a powerful medicine for a patient named Maritza* who’d come to the clinic with her son. As the team took the time to understand her physical condition, they also addressed her spiritual needs. They encouraged her from God’s Word, reminding her of His love for her.
She saw the clinic and the kindness of the staff as a gift from God. She recommitted her life to following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
“Although I had previously accepted Christ, I had turned back to the world. After hearing the preaching at the clinic, I felt deeply touched and decided to return to Christ. I realized that there is nothing lasting in the world. I am spiritually restored today,” she said.
The Medicine of Kindness
Pastor Edel’s* church sits in a community of nearly 10,000 people who would travel long distances for the nearest medical facility. This means many illnesses went untreated.
He said the mobile clinic has been a blessing to the people he serves.
“The work that Samaritan’s Purse is doing in this community is truly a divine provision of God,” he said. In addition to the medical care, Pastor Edel recounted the other ways that Samaritan’s Purse has provided for the health of his community. This includes reliable access to clean water with the well we provided there in recent years.
In many communities, our teams work through pastors to assess needs and for patient referrals.
A patient named Louise* was sent by her pastor to our clinic in her area. She suffered from high blood pressure and persistent pain. It was an answer to prayer.
“I believe it was God who opened this door for me at the right time,” she said. “I am very happy and deeply grateful for the care I received and for the compassion that was shown to me by the medical team. I felt listened to, respected, and cared for.”
The Lord Brought the Hospital to Me
The teams treated another centenarian, also 103 years old, named Mariane*. She said her hometown was flooded by Hurricane Melissa last year. The storm damage made transportation to a medical facility impossible for her.
“Today, I am filled with joy because the Lord brought the hospital to me, free of charge.”
“For a long time, I needed to go to the hospital, but I did not have the possibility to do so,” Mariane said. “I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘My Lord, you know my situation.’ Today, I am filled with joy because the Lord brought the hospital to me, free of charge.
“The doctors examined me with care and compassion,” she said. “They gave me a prescription, and I went to the [clinic] pharmacy where I received my medications for free. My heart is full of gratitude.”
Samaritan’s Purse began work in Haiti in 2010 in response to a devastating earthquake. Since then, we have continued to meet needs in communities across the island nation. As we help people in Jesus’ Name, we see lives and communities transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
*Se cambió el nombre por seguridad
