Medical Fund
Donation protected
Throughout the Dominican Republic many Haitian immigrants and Dominican-born individuals of Haitian descent live on the margins of Dominican society. With few legal protections and little access to employment or social programs, extreme poverty, racism, and abuse by the Dominican government are ubiquitous. Many of these people live in small shanty towns termed "bateys," which often lack basic amenities, such as housing with cement floors access to clean water.
Over the past 7 years I have been afforded the privilege of being accepted into one such community, and I spend my time away from work and/or school living with a family of Haitian immigrants in a small village on the North coast of the DR. While the majority of their challenges are the consequence of deep social and economic forces, one area in which I try to affect improvement is in helping them with access to medical care. Basic medical problems are frequent and lead to discomfort and, sometimes, lost productivity and earnings. Although a public primary-care clinic exists within a few miles of the village, medications are not covered and, even though they typically cost only a few US dollars, are unattainable to most of the village's residents. As such, I spend a lot of my time there assisting them in communicating with the physicians, purchasing their medications, and helping them properly carry out the prescribed treatment plans.
I will be spending my summer in the village living with my Haitian family, while helping the villagers get the medical treatment they so desperately need. And that's where you come in! Any donation you could manage would be amazing! The average primary care doctor's visit is $10...which is not a lot, but for most families, it is prohibitively expensive.
Every single cent will go directly to the people of the village, and no donation is too small. $5 cures an ear infection, bronchitis, pink eye. And that makes a HUGE difference in someone's life.
Thanks for reading my story, and please feel free to email me if you have any questions!
Over the past 7 years I have been afforded the privilege of being accepted into one such community, and I spend my time away from work and/or school living with a family of Haitian immigrants in a small village on the North coast of the DR. While the majority of their challenges are the consequence of deep social and economic forces, one area in which I try to affect improvement is in helping them with access to medical care. Basic medical problems are frequent and lead to discomfort and, sometimes, lost productivity and earnings. Although a public primary-care clinic exists within a few miles of the village, medications are not covered and, even though they typically cost only a few US dollars, are unattainable to most of the village's residents. As such, I spend a lot of my time there assisting them in communicating with the physicians, purchasing their medications, and helping them properly carry out the prescribed treatment plans.
I will be spending my summer in the village living with my Haitian family, while helping the villagers get the medical treatment they so desperately need. And that's where you come in! Any donation you could manage would be amazing! The average primary care doctor's visit is $10...which is not a lot, but for most families, it is prohibitively expensive.
Every single cent will go directly to the people of the village, and no donation is too small. $5 cures an ear infection, bronchitis, pink eye. And that makes a HUGE difference in someone's life.
Thanks for reading my story, and please feel free to email me if you have any questions!
Organizer
Brittney Blais
Organizer
Mesa, AZ
