When Helping Helps

I just started reading a book called When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself. I know - some might wonder why I didn't read it before I went to Haiti. I bought it beforehand and intended to read it, I just didn't get around to it. So I am reading it now. And I've really only made it three pages into the first chapter so this is in no way a book review or reflection on my thoughts. It is simply to say that it reminded me of some photos and a story I have been meaning to share. If you've read earlier posts, you might remember these cuties:

Photo on the left is when these twins were first admitted into our care in early October of 2013. The picture on the right is two weeks later, right before we discharged them. While in our care for those two weeks, we were able to address the acute medical concerns of diarrhea, vomiting and poor feeding and get some weight on them so that they would have a better chance of thriving back at home. 

Now for the rest of the story: 

They were being cared for by their grandma, since mother had passed away, so they were immediately enrolled into our formula program. Every two weeks, they returned with grandma so that we could weigh them and issue two more week's worth of formula. 

The first few return visits, there was still some concern about weight gain and improvement. One of the twins had persisting diarrhea and his fontanel was sunken again, indicating dehydration. We thought about readmitting them, but also wanted to be cautious about creating a dependence and assumption that every time they were sick we would take them in. Grandma in this scenario is the textbook example of a perfectly capable, willing, loving, devoted caretaker who was fighting against the elements. So instead of readmitting them, we equipped her with the appropriate tools and education to care for the twins at home. All it required was some water purifying tablets (deduced that she didn't have a clean water source to mix the formula with = likely source of diarrhea), Pedialyte for rehydration, and the assurance that she could return at anytime if they weren't improving. At our next assessment, they were back to gaining weight. We were elated and Grandma was empowered. It was beautiful. 

(Insert random health intervention...during one formula day check-in, one of the twins presented with an abscess behind his ear that was the size of half a golf ball. Nothing but a little topical Lidocaine, a sharp scalpel and a few days of oral antibiotics and it was taken care of. I may have done a little victory dance when he came back after the antibiotics were done and it was almost completely gone! Not only for his sake, but I also didn't want to have to address it with the scalpel a second time....First mild surgical procedure for the win!)

I was so glad when they came into the Pharmacy on my last Formula Day before leaving Haiti because, to me, they represented a culmination of my experience in Haiti. They were the first babies to be admitted when I arrived and I was able to watch them through to the end of my time there, thriving and growing into healthy little boys. This is a case where helping helped. 

October 2013- During the two weeks they stayed in our care

Same kiddo - Late April 2014

No way these two would fit together in that infant seat anymore!! 

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.