Prison Update

Doctor Jerry came to the prison yesterday afternoon and saw Jonas, drew some blood and we brought it over the the local lab for analysis.  Picked up the results this morning and found that the lab did not do the right tests so we are back at square one.  Cheesh!
There are nine diagnosed cases of cholera among the prisoners and two have died from it.  The Inspector, head honcho, asked us to provide training and prevention for his staff and the prisoners.  The head of our Outreach Program on AIDS Prevention, Djerline Clerge and Paige will organize this.  We'll also be providing treatment but the place is perfect for the spread of such a disease-- a bucket in each cell for a toilet shared by as many as 30 inmates, no sinks in the cells to wash their hands, not enough space...
We'd like to provide each inmate with a personal hygiene kit for Christmas that will include: soap, shampoo, lotion, Q-tips, toothbrush and paste, deodorant and a washcloth.  Cost per person is $7.00 and there are 460 inmates.  Can you or your organization help?

Les Cayes Prison

Those of you who keep in the loop on all things Haitian know that there was a prison riot this past week in Port-au-Prince. Three prisoners were killed. We visited the local prison this morning and we brought medicine, mattresses (see above) and some food as they've run out for the month. The photo shows the cramped cell where minors are held. The youngest in this group of thirteen is 14 and the oldest is 18. They are locked up a minimum of 23 hours a day. There's no plumbing, only a bucket. The boys need toiletries, clothing and sandals. Sorry about the quality of the photo but it was taken surreptitiously. I asked the guys to smile for the photo and they complied-- to my amazement.

Our ministry in the prison is pretty limited. We help out as mentioned above and we offer the "condemned" (those who have seen a judge and received a sentence) a chance to become tailors. This is good but there's much more to be done.