Haiti
Hinche, Haiti Dental Outreach
Established November 2012
December 2, 2022
It is with great sadness, because of Covid and then the severe unrest in Haiti, that we report we have not been able to safely return to Haiti on a dental mission since January 2019.
We are in contact almost daily with Pastor Lavaud Cheristin, our interpreters, local priests and other Haitian friends who have relayed the severity of the unrest and their daily struggles. Kidnappings, robberies and even murders are a daily occurrence. For a long time, these problems were mainly in Port au Prince (3 hours away from Hinche) and surrounding areas. However, recently the violence has spread to Hinche and throughout Haiti. Gangs are literally running the country and there is not a stable government or a functioning police force. Inflation is over 30 % and has affected everyone, especially the very poor. Food is often not available in the open markets and too expensive for everyone. Many, many are going hungry. Gasoline is rarely available and is very expensive, so even if one has a motorcycle, he/she can rarely buy gas to travel. More recently, especially because of unsafe water, cholera has broken out across the country.
Hinche Haiti Dental Outreach, Inc. has continued to help, as best we can, through the following:
+ Financial assistance to Pastor Lavaud to maintain our clinic facility. This financial support is vital in providing food and assistance at his orphanage, to the children in his two schools and many of the parishioners of his Church. In the past, he supported much of his work by housing and feeding various missionary teams, including our dental teams, many weeks of the year. This source of income no longer exists. Sadly, our 11-chair dental clinic remains unutilized. In 2018 and 2019 we had been having a few Haitian dentists work with our teams with the hope of hiring one or two of the them along with a Haitian staff to operate the clinic when our missionary teams were not there. We just ran out of time when covid hit. Hopefully this will occur in the future.
+ Financial assistance to our 9 interpreters. They have sent back many heartfelt stories of how the money has been life sustaining to them, their families and the very poor of their community.
+ Fluoride treatments are provided three times a year, by two of our interpreters, to the orphans and students.
+ We have assisted in regular shipments either via Missionary Flights International (neat to google them) and with Vine Christian Fellowship Church in Appleton, WI. These shipments include many items and gifts for Pastor Lavaud’s staff, orphanage, schools, parish, our common interpreters. The shipments have also included solar ovens and many dental items and supplies for the local Haitian dentists to be used in their offices and also toothbrushes, paste and fluoride varnish treatments. These shipments have to be timed for, hopefully, safe delivery and pick up. So far, they have all made it through safely although they are now going through Cap Haitian (to the North) and not Port au Prince.
+ Before Covid and the unrest hit, we brought Michael Dessables, one of our interpreters, to the US and HHDO. Inc. sponsors his schooling at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI. He is the 3rd, student we have sponsored there. He lives with Drs. Tip and Dawn and their family here in Neenah.
+ In addition to the above, the families of all of our past mission teams and many of our local Churches of all denominations are praying regularity for our Haitian friends and for changes that will bring stability, safety and the healing of Haiti.
If you would like to help us support the above efforts, please consider a donation to our 501-c-3 non-profit.
Hinche Haiti Dental Outreach, Inc.
996 S. Green Bay Rd.
Neenah, WI 54956
February 2019
Dear Friends,
In 1990, Lori Schneider, long term friend and employee of Brown Family Dentistry, and I made our first mission trip to Haiti. In the spring of 2012, she and I returned to Haiti on a dental mission with a dentist who had established a dental clinic in Baudin, a small mountain village. We worked hard and learned a great deal about establishing a clinic in Haiti. On that same trip, we traveled to Hinche, where Lori had been on many medical mission trips before. We explored the possibility of establishing a dental clinic with Pastor Lavaud Cheristin, a Haitian minister, who is the head of a Church, two schools and an orphanage in Hinche.
Upon our return to the US, we spoke to many groups and began fundraising for dental equipment, supplies, and financial donations. In Nov. 2012, after a great deal of hard work and prayer, we had our Grand Opening in Hinche and our first dental mission with our “new” 4 chair clinic.
To date, we have completed sixteen mission trips to Hinche. Our most recent trip was in January 2019. We now have a very operational 11-chair clinic! Our dental teams usually include 16-18 people and have been comprised of general dentists, oral surgeons, endodontists, hygienists, assistants, handymen, electricians and various helpers. We have now had 127 different volunteers join our mission teams in Hinche! Many have returned multiple times.
We learn, adapt, grow and improve each trip. Over our first 16 missions we have performed: 3820 restorations, 2994 extractions, 82 root canals, 1545 cleanings, and 3003 fluoride varnish treatments and 400 Silver Diamine treatments (new in 2019). In today’s US dollars and within a + or – range of 15%, we have provided $2,393,500 of donated service. Although these numbers are very important, the true value is in sharing our gifts and talents in Christ’s name with our Haitian friends.
The clinic provides opportunities for employment and skill development to local Haitians. We have an eager staff of interpreters who translate, provide dental education and even go to the schools and orphanage and apply fluoride varnish treatments. Our sterilization processes are now totally run by a Haitian. In addition, local Haitian dentists and dental students have been observing and assisting at our clinic. In January 2019, for the first time, a Haitian dentist helped us with exams and cleanings. We believe that our impact is far reaching in the Hinche area and we are laying the foundation for continued improvement in oral health.
Our team at Brown Family Dentistry is an integral part of the success of the Hinche Dental Clinic. In addition to the many trips made by Lori and myself, Dr. Dawn has made five missions and Dr. Tip, twice. Other BFD team members that have been to Haiti with us are: Leesa (8), Lisa (2), Krista (1), Heather (1), Samantha (1), Jessica (1) and Lauren (2). Drs. Tip and Dawn’s son, Carter (3) and daughter, Ashlyn (1) (my grandchildren) have also worked with us in Hinche. Please view Carter’s videos below. The first was made after his second mission in January 2017.
The number of services provided in the video does not reflect the last 5 mission trips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWvkj-EeikE
The second link is also by Carter Brown after the May 2018 mission trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGcAc9TFE5Y
Our mission trips would not be possible without all of the prayers and the wonderful donations from all of our supporters. THANK YOU!
Past donations have helped us establish and improve the Hinche Dental Clinic. We promise to continue to work hard to utilize our clinic on many mission trips to follow. To do so, we DO need continual financial help. All donations help us provide desperately needed dental care to the Haitian people. Donations are tax deductible. No donations are too small.
If you would like to contribute financially to our project, please make your check out to our
non-profit:
Hinche Haiti Dental Outreach, Inc.
996 S. Green Bay Rd.
Neenah, WI 54956
Sincerely, Tim Brown DDS & Dawn Brown DDS
P.S. We also send out two e-newsletters per year. If you would like to be on this confidential list, please let us know via e-mail to tbrown1821@gmail.com.
Highlights
Good teeth! This is one of the children from Pastor Lavaud’s orphanage. Although not every one of the 58 orphan’s teeth look quite this good, 90% of them are now decay free! It demonstrates our preventive measures over the last 5+ years of regular fluoride treatments (they now have toothbrushes), eating and drinking less sugar and timely restorative treatment. It’s really paying off.
These photos are of older students from a school of which we have not treated children in the past. These infected and painful teeth were removed in January 2018. We restored other decayed teeth on these children and in the future we will make a partial denture to replace the missing front teeth.
These photos show some of the beautiful restorative treatment from a member of our team.
Before Treatment After Treatment
Dr. Tip with children from the orphanage. Dr. Tim giving Leesa a service award during Pastor Lavaud's church service.
Ashlyn Brown having fun with children. Jess getting help making appointments.
Leesa holding toddler while her These children were delivered from the
mom was having teeth restored. orphanage to the clinic in this motorcycle/wagon.
It is about a 5 mile ride and the children loved it.
Dr. Dawn and her son, Carter Lauren and Michael in the clinic between patients.
taking in the view.
Lisa making friends at the orphanage.