Working Amidst Danger
A cellphone photo at sunrise, taken by Dr. Fiquita on her way to Jerusalem, when the road is the safest.
Working in Haiti has grown increasingly dire in the past year. The assassination of President Moïse and the strains of the pandemic have led to an increase in gang presence, violence and civil unrest. Most of the nonprofits operating in Jerusalem have left, but our team remains. Dr. Fiquita St. Paul, who lives in Pétion-Ville, a mere hour drive from Jerusalem, often cannot make the trip because of the risk of kidnapping or violence.
“To get to Jerusalem, we have three roads,” Dr. Fiquita explained recently in a WhatsApp voice note to our team. “One is an absolute ‘no-go’ now because there’s so many kidnappings. The second is unstable because of gang fights. The other, you have to go through an intersection that is sometimes dangerous because of fighting. It’s difficult.”
On days when she can make the trip, Dr. Fiquita leaves at 5:00 in the morning – when violence is at a minimum and there is a modicum of police protection – to see patients, who have been waiting for hours, by 6:30. She and the Community Health Workers (CHW), Esther Paul and Pauliene Delphin, work swiftly, making sure to see everyone in the morning so they have the best chance of returning home safely. When the roads are too perilous, Dr. Fiquita communicates with the CHWs and patients by phone, prescribing medicine, and ordering labs. Most are returning patients who need medicine for chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, or asthma, or pregnant women requiring care. Recently, there’s been an uptick in scabies. Some days, however, the team cannot travel or only a single patient shows because people are too afraid to leave their homes.
“Even though it’s not obvious, I still have hope,” Dr. Fiquita said. “We still have hope for our country that it will be peaceful. That soon we can take our children to school without being fearful of being kidnapped or shot. To take them anywhere that isn’t just home, school and church. They have nowhere to go. Everyone is scared. But still, we have hope that one day this will be history.”
Dr. Fiquita joined Community Empowerment in 2016 after working as a translator for one of our teams during medical school. Her commitment to Jerusalem grew as she saw the opportunity to create a better healthcare system than the overcrowded and under-resourced hospitals where she also worked. It’s because of her dedication that CE can continue operating in Jerusalem. A team hasn’t been able to visit since early 2020.
“I want to continue the Community Empowerment dream - to have health services that are self-sustainable and quality care at a low price because the people need us, especially now. They need us. It’s not easy but we will keep on fighting until peace comes back.”
