Medical Aid to Haiti

Since the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, we’ve all heard about the horrendous loss of life, the squalid tent cities, the Cholera epidemic, and now, the violence. It seems the sadness never ends for this small, desperate island nation, however, I’d like to share some good news with you about a charitable organization that is making a difference by “helping Haitians heal Haitians.”

A few years ago, I went on a medical mission as a volunteer for an organization that was providing much-needed healthcare to communities whose people rarely received organized care.  Like most first time visitors to Haiti, I experienced sensory overload shortly after my arrival there.  The poverty, overcrowding, noise, filth – even the smell – all contributed to what I sum up as desperation.  My role, as the sole non-medical persoon the team, was to help organize the  clinics that we conducted at various sites in and around Port-au-Prince.

The trip was arranged on a shoestring budget, yet we were able to provide basic healthcare services, including medication, to more than 500 people during that week. Wleft for home with the uneasy knowledge that the patients we had treated, and the sites our clinic visited, would have to do without medical attention until we returned. Their need fueled my desire to do more, and it gave birth to Medical Aid To Haiti, Inc. (MATH).

MATH, formed in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that sponsors medical missions to Haiti and, most importantly, sponsors a Haitian-staffed mobile medical clinic that operates in and around Port-au-Prince.  The mobile clinic travels three days each week to the same medically-underserved areas, providing a desperately needed continuum of care.  In response to the earthquake, during this past year MATH sent five medical missions to Haiti to work hand-in-hand with the Haitian mobile clinic staff.

The annual cost to support the mobile medical clinic and fund medical missions is approximately $75,000.  MATH is an all-volunteer organization and 100% of the money we raise is used for clinic and mission expenses.  Our hope is to expand the operation of the clinics to five days each week and to have the funds needed to ensure its continued operation.

Here is where I ask for your help. MATH has been presented with a donations challengby a small group of donors. If we can raise $25,000 by March 31, 2011, they will match it with their own contributions. Please help us take advantage of this opportunity. This is a time when the people of Haiti need our support more than ever. We cannot accomplish our goals without your help, and we ask that you join us in offering a much-needed helping hand to those in need.

We gratefully accept donations at the address below, or through PayPal.

Thank you for your generous consideration.

Kind Regards,

Rick Thibadeau
Chairman & Founder, MATH

Please mail contributions to:
Medical Aid to Haiti, Inc.
80 S. Main St.
W. Hartford, CT 06107

Or Donate Online Using Paypal:

We need your help in saving lives in Haiti. We have all heard about the overwhelming poverty and deplorable living conditions which plague the island nation.  Overcrowding combined with a lack of potable water and inadequate sanitation make Haiti a breeding ground for illness and disease.  Healthcare in Haiti, when available, requires the patient to pre-pay for medical treatment.  In many instances, the basic supplies required for treatment (e.g. bandages, medications) must be provided by the patient.   Because most Haitians earn less than $2 (US) per day, the cost of healthcare is prohibitive.

Since 2003, St. Peter Claver Church in West Hartford, Connecticut has sponsored 10 medical missions to Haiti. These US based missions include teams of physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals who work in conjunction with a Haitian hospital to conduct mobile medical clinics.  Together, they have identified several areas in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti in dire need of medical assistance.  Upon returning from their missions, these healthcare professionals stress that what is needed most is ongoing medical care for Haitians and by Haitians.

Medical Aid to Haiti, Inc. (MATH) is a recently formed public charity with the following mission: Helping Haitians heal Haitians by providing needed resources for the care and treatment of their poor.  MATH’s initial fundraising efforts will support the establishment of a permanently funded, Haitian staffed, mobile medical clinic.  Our hope is that this clinic will operate in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti on a regular basis to provide a desperately needed continuum of care for its patients.

The cost to fund the MATH Mobile Medical Clinic is approximately $50,000 annually which provides for a Haitian doctor, nurse, pharmacist, support staff and all necessary medications and supplies.   A campaign that raises $100,000 ensures a multi-year commitment to the mobile clinic as well as funds for future medical missions from our area.  $150,000 funds the above and provides for the life saving medical needs of those seen by the mobile clinic requiring tests, surgery, hospitalization or on-going care and treatment.  An additional $50,000 purchases a 4WD clinic vehicle that will stand up to the rugged unpaved roads, a needed replacement for the current van.

We can’t fix Haiti but we have the chance to make a positive and important difference in the lives of many Haitians.  Thank you for your help.